RCCG AUGUST 2025 THANKSGIVING SERVICE FEATURING SPECIAL PRAYERS FOR SPORTS ADMINISTRATORS, REGULATORS, PROMOTERS, BUSINESS PERSONS, TRAINING INSTITUTIONS. MEN, LADIES AND SUPPORTERS CLUBS
TOPIC: THE WINNING TEAM
MINISTERING: PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE
DATE: 3RD AUGUST, 2025
BIBLE TEXT: *PROVERBS 22:29
*GENERAL PRAYERS*
1, Let’s lift our hands to the Most High God and bless His Holy Name.
Bless the King of Kings, bless the Lord of Lords, bless the Ancient of Days.
Give Him Glory, and give Him Honour for all He has done for you since the beginning of the Year.
Praise Him and Worship Him.
Thank Him for His Protection, His Provision, His Promotion, His Support, and His Favour.
Go ahead and Praise Him,
Give Him Glory as He is Worthy to be Praised and Worthy to be Adored.
There is no one like Him – He is the Ancient of Days.
He is the same Yesterday, Today and Forever.
Thank You Father!
In Jesus Mighty Name we have Worshipped – Amen!
2. This Morning, we want to lift our Voices to God and say:
Father, we commit all those who are involved in Sports into Your Hands; Please take care of them, keep Accidents away from them, no Tragedy, no Problems.
Pray for them that they will keep on Winning.
Go ahead and Pray for them.
In Jesus Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen!
3. And then, you want to cry to God and said:
Father, this Particular Month, let it be well with me.
Open your mouth and cry unto Him.
In Jesus Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen!
*SONG
Hosanna in the Highest
Hosanna in the Highest
The Angels are Singing
Hosanna in the Highest
*OPENING PRAYER
Oh Almighty God, we bless Your Holy Name.
Thank You for January, Thank You for February, Thank You for March, Thank You for April, Thank You for May, Thank You for June, Thank You for July; Father Thank You for August.
Thank You because we know that You have brought us thus far by Your Special Grace and You will see us till the End of the Year.
Please accept our Worship in Jesus Name.
We Thank You for every Good Thing that You have done for us: Journey Mercies, Provisions, Protection, Promotion, Joy, Success etc.
Please accept our Thanks in Jesus Name.
And this Morning in Particular, we are Presenting to You Specially all those who are involved with Sports from the Minister of Sports, to the Commisioners, to Coaches, to Players and to everyone connected with Sports in one way or the other:
Please Lord, take care of them,
Protect them from Evil,
Build a Wall of Fire around them,
And don’t let the Enemies Penetrate through to them.
Just let them keep on Succeeding.
Let there be no Accidents, no Tragedies and no Sorrow.
Let them move from Success to Success and from Glory to Glory.
Just let it be well with them.
My Father, we commit all Your Children all over the world into Your Hands:
Those who has been Faithful in the Payment of their Tithes and in the Giving of their Offerings.
You Promise that You will embarrass them with Your Blessings – Fulfil it this Month.
Whatever they touch, let it Prosper and let it be well with them.
And all Your Children my Father and my God who are Connected with this Service in one way or the other; let this Month be a Month of Pleasant Surprises to them.
My Father and my God, Your Convention begins this Week: From all over the world, Your Children are coming,
Even before they arrive at the Redemption City of God, Surprise them with Miracles, with Signs, with Wonders and with Joy.
The Theme this Year my Father and my God is: “The Overcomers”.
Everyone who will attend the Convention this Year, make them Overcomers.
Whatever may be their Individual Problems; and whatever may be the Battles they are fighting; before the end of this New Week, let them be Singing the Song of Victory.
Make all of us Overcomers.
And let us be Overcomers forever.
In Jesus Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen!
Well, let Someone shout Hallelujah – Hallelujah!
Shake hands with one (1) or two (2) People and tell him or her: I am a Wonder you know!
And then, you may Please be seated – God Bless You!
You may want to be asking the Question: Why is a Church setting apart Special Sunday for Sports Men and Women and all those involved with Sports?
Well there might be many reasons but one of the reasons is that I happened to be a Sportsman – I may not look like one now but I used to be a Boxer.
*Let me tell you the Truth – There are Lessons that you learn in Sports that will see you through Life.*
… Many, many Lessons!
I remember very well way back in the 1960’s, we had a Coach who gave us tough time – He will Presurrise us and Pressurise us.
At a Stage, we confronted him – Sir, we are not Preparing to join the Army o; why all these rigours?
He looked at us and said: What is wrong with you Stupiid boys? The Strength that I am building in you; by the time you leave, are you going to Transfer them back to me?
Today, I still Thank him for the Strength that he built in me because now, I have to do things that Ordinary bodies will not be able to cope with.
But there was Somebody who kept on asking me to Push the Wall – Push it as if you want to Pull it down.
Why? We just want to Play Football.
*But then, I have always told you – Your Coach can’t be your friend!*
Why? Because your friend is satisfied with who you are and how you are.
That’s why he is your friend.
But your Coach knows that you can be much better than you are.
*No matter how Good you are; a Good Coach will never be satisfied with how you are – You must keep on Pushing.*
If he doesn’t Push you till you begin to wonder what is wrong with this Man; then he is not doing the work of a Good Coach.
*But then, Today we want to talk about: “The Winning Team”.*
Proverbs 22:29: Seest thou a Man diligent in his business? He shall stand before Kings; he shall not stand before mean Men.
Is there anybody here Today or reading now on the Label of DMC who will love to be a Winner all the days of your Life?
Let me hear you shout Hallelujah – Hallelujah!
*Victory is Sweet and it is Rewarding – You give Rewards to Victors*
One of my Coaches in those days says: “Don’t believe them when they tell you that all that is important in Sports is taking Part”.
Because some Coaches will tell you that it doesn’t matter whether you win or not; just take Part – And that is the Gane.
My Coach says: That is not the Game.
He says that anytime they tell you that, ask them that how come they don’t give Medals to Failures?
If all that is important is just to take Part in the Gane, then everybody who takes Part should get a Medal.
… They give Medals only to Winners – Nobody Celebrates a Looser!
Years ago, Nigeria won the U-17 Male World Cup in Football (NOTES: The Nigerian Golden Eaglet as the U-17 Male Team is called won the Maiden Edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Beijing China in 1985. A feat they now has repeated afterwards in 1995, 2007, 2013 and 2015 – Making them a 5-Time Champion of this Tournament and the Most Successful Team in the History of this Tournament).
When they return to Nigeria, they Paraded from the Airport in Lagos all the way in Lagos.
Some times later on, they went for another Competition and they Lost – Nobody knew when they came back to the Country as they sneaked in.
*I decree in the Name that is above every other names: You will not be a Looser – Again!*
When you go through the Scriptures, you will discovered in Revelation 2:17 that Overcomers will get Gifts.
It says that they will get to eat of the Hidden Manna; they will get White Stone and they will get a New name – Just for bring a Winner.
So I wasn’t surprised when the Nigeria President (NOTES: Senator Ahmed Bola Tinhbu, GCFR) decided to give Gifts to the National Senior Female Team of Nigeria called Suoer Falcons – When he said that each one of them will get an hundred thousand dollars ($100,000).
I said Wao! In our own days, all we get is an Handshake.
And that they won’t just get the Money alone; they will get a House – I said is that so? (DMC NOTES: Each of the Super Falcons Players and Officials got a 3-Bedroom Flat in the Renewed Hope Estate in Abuja Nigeria).
Unfortunately now, all my children are grown up – They can’t then begin to compete now.
And then they were given National Honours – DMC NOTES: Each of the Super Falcons Players and their Coaches were Awarded and Conferred with “The Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON).
*NOTES: All these Rewards were given to the Super Falcons of Nigeria for winning Nigeria’s 10th Title of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Tournament in Morocco.*
… God said that they will get to eat of the Hidden Manna, they will get a New Brand White Stone and there will be a name reserved for them (DMC NOTES: Revelation 2:17).
I thank the President for the Gifts to the Super Falcons.
However, as I will show you; I am not quite sure that I will agree that the Coaches should get less than the Players.
Because I am going to show you here that without Coaches, the Team will not Succeed.
But I don’t want to get into Controversies.
God bless the Coaches – Amen!
God bless the Coaches because you need them.
*I am going to tell you three (3) Major Things that you must take Note of if you are going to be in the Winning Team:*
*Whatever I am saying this Morning is not applying to Sports alone; it’s applying to Life!
*NUMBER 1: YOU MUST KNKW HOW TO WIN.*
*It is not everybody who contest that can win.*
Proverbs 4:7 says: Wisdom is the Principal Thing – Get Wisdom.
Then, what is Wisdom?
Wisdom is the Correct Application of Knowledge.
The Coaches have Knowledge and they have Experience.
These People has acquired this Wisdom to help you win.
Ecclesiastes 9:16 says: Wisdom is better than Strength.
You can be Strong and still loose.
You say how come?
I have told you that I used to be a Boxer.
My Model was this Fellow who later on became to be known as Muhammed Alli – He started off by being called Cassius Clay
*DMC NOTES: Cassius Clay was the birth name of Muhammad Ali, one of the most celebrated Heavyweight Boxers in History. He was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1942. He later changed his name to Muhammad Ali after converting to Islam.*
That boy was Clever – The time that he was asked to face Sonny Liston, Nobody ever thought that a boy will defeat Sonny Liston.
*NOTES: Sonny Liston, born Charles Liston, was a formidable American boxer who reigned as the world Heavyweight Champion from 1962 to 1964. Known for his intimidating Presence and Powerful Punches, he achieved significant success in the ring, but his career was also marked by controversy and speculation.*
That Man (Referring to Sonny Liston) was a Monster – He was Strong and I mean terrible.
This Man was on one occasion was fighting and his Jaw was dislocated and they said that they should stop the fight.
He said No! Tie the Jaw together – And he still went ahead and defeated the Opponent.
And then came this Young boy – Very Young and an Handsome Man.
Hey! Give me Sonny Liston and I will finish him.
He made so much noise that they say: Alright, let us shut his mouth for him – Give him the opportunity.
And they say: Okay, you can go ahead and fight him – He will kill you.
And he went on and began to abuse Sonny Liston – He said so many ugly things about him and the Man was Mad.
By the time Sonny Liston got into the ring with Cassius Clay, he was Mad and angry.
And when you are angry, you make Mistakes.
And so the boy kept on dancing in the ring – Making him more and more angry until Sonny Liston begin to throw Wild Punches.
And then my little friend (Cassius Clay) just moved in and finished the Man.
… Wisdom is better than Strength!
The African Elders has a Saying: “You have Strength and you don’t have Wisdom, then you are Nothing”.
*NOTES: “Alagbara ma mero, baba ole” – Meaning that a Powerful Man who lacks Tactics is Nothing but the father of all Lazy People.*
*Wisdom brings Success!*
Ecclesiastes 10:10 says: Hey, if you want to be Successful, be Wise!
*That is why you need a Good Coach – It is a Good Coach who will tell you that this is the way to go about it.*
*Football is not a “Lone-Man” Game – You must work as a Team.*
This is the way you do this and that.
You need the Coach to win because if you don’t know how to win; you will loose!
Now, I am going to give you two (2) Examples quickly from my own Experience:
I. Several Years ago at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN); they are going to do a kind of Exchange Program between the University of Nigeria and the University in America.
So, during the Long Vacation, they wanted to send some People from our own University to that University there.
So, you spend three (3) Months there enjoying yourself in America.
And they Selected the Best Students from each Faculty to pick a handful from there.
And by the Grace of God; I happened to be one of the People that they are considering.
But before the Selection, they invited us to a Dinner – We didn’t know that a Dinner can be an Examination.
So, we got there – Many of us are Ruffarians and some of us are Village Boys like myself.
They Set the Table very neatly and there was a Man who was just going around taking Notes.
They gave us soup and then little, little breads.
Well, we got there and we kept on eating – People like me will grab the bread, bit it off and we know what we did to the soup.
At that Stage alone, they said that some of us have failed.
Ha! What is the Problem?
They said that you are not supposed to bit your bread – You are suppose to break it.
Ha, Ha; what is the difference?
And they say that you are not supposed to drink your soup – You are supposed to eat it.
How do you eat Liquid?
He said that you are supposed to put the spoon there and take a little bit little by little.
We ate the bread and the little soup that remained, we used the bread to scooped it.
… We failed because we did not know how to Succeed.
II. But then I will give you another Example on the Positive side.
They are about to select those of us who will represent the University.
They wanted to select about a dozen of People – And those of us who came for the Selection, we are about one hundred and fifty (150).
But Somebody had given us an insight that on the day of Selection; the first thing that they will asked everybody to do is to run a Mile. And then when you come, they will ask you to do ten (10) Press Up’s. And after that, they will ask you to go and lift Weight – About eighty (80) Pounds or something before you Play at all.
So a friend of mine – Now of Blessed Memory and I now said: No Problem, we will Prepare.
☆ We will be asked to run a Mile – Everyday, we were running two (2) Miles.
☆ They are going to ask us to do ten (10) Press Up’s – Oh God, we were doing twenty (20) Press Up’s.
☆ They will ask us to carry Eighty (80) Pounds – We were already carrying one hundred and twenty (120) Pounds.
So the day of Selection came and the whole crowd gathered.
And then the Judge say: Everyone of you run a Mile – We were running two (2) Miles already and so we came first.
I mean that when the others were still afar off; we have arrived.
Alright, go there and do ten (10) Press Up’s, they stopped us when we were doing twenty five (25).
Okay, go there and carry eighty (80) Pounds – Eighty (80) Pounds? We are already close to carrying one hundred and twenty (120) Pounds. So we ignored the small ones.
He said that the two (2) of you – You are already in.
We haven’t Played but we have been told how to Succeed.
*I decree to everyone of you here Today and those reading now on the Label of DMC: The way to Succeed in Life, may the Almighty God show you!*
*No 2: Work Extra Hard*
The Bible Text that I read to you – Proverbs 22:29 says: Seeth thou a Man diligent in his Business, he will Stand before Kings and not mean Men.
… He will be among Kings and Winners!
Proverbs 12:24 says that: The diligent shall bear Rule.
*The one who is Hardworking is going to end up as a Ruler – He is going to be a Winner!*
*It is not enough to be a Winner if all you want to do is to do the Normal Practice – That won’t guarantee you being a Winner!*
*You have to do more than Ordinary!
I will just give you one Example again from Sports:
Our Coach told us that when you are Practising for Football, you are not supposed to Practice for 90 Minutes – That is the Regular Practicing Time.
He said that the 90 Minutes in your Practice Time should be your Half Time.
So, he will drive us for 180 Minutes – That is when he will let you go.
Why? The whole thing is supposed to be 90 Minutes?
He said that is not under my Watch!
We grumbled but it didn’t yield.
Then the day came when we had what we called the 1st NUGA Games (NUGA means Nigeria University Games).
There were six (6) Universities in Nigeria in those days and there were twelve (12) Trophies.
University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) cleared seven (7) Trophies!
And I will never forget the Final Football Match – I didn’t want to mention the University that we Played against.
But by 90 Minutes, it was a Goalless Draw (0-0) – The other Team was Good as well.
And then, they gave us 20 Minutes Extra Time.
Now, the other Team was tired as they have Played their Hearts out. But for us, it was just our Half Time.
Within 20 Minutes, we scored four (4) Goals.
I am talking from Experience – The same thing is true for Pastors.
That is why when I asked you to Fast for seven (7) Days, I will be Fasting for fourteen (14) Days.
When I asked you to Pray for 1-Hour, I have already Prayed for 2-Hours.
*That is how to win – You must be Extra Strong and you must do more than the Average Fellow!*
*If you do what the Average Fellow does, you will be Average!*
*There are other things you need – I mean for Example: The fact that in the Boxing, if you are to be a Winner, you must Protect your Weak Point.*
What do I mean by that?
If you are a Boxer, one time or the other; you are likely to suffer an Injury – A blow may just hit you in the eyes and it bleeds.
After the fight, it will heal.
But there will be a scar underneath – They sew it off for you so that it won’t show much.
But the one who is going to fight you the Next Time; if he is Wise, will have Studied your Previous fights. And so would have noticed the Place that have suffered an injury before.
So when it is time to fight you, he is going to focus his attention on the Injury Point.
Because if he can break that wound again and that thing begins to bleed one more time; they will stop the fight.
He doesn’t win by knocking you out; he wins by making you impossible to continue with the fight.
*If you know that you have any weak Point in Life – Protect it!*
*Because you may not know it but the devil knows!
*And each time that there is an opportunity, he wants to hit you at that Weak Point!*
*No 3: In Life just as in Sports; you need Divine Involvement to win.*
*Every Game is like Betting.*
Ecclesiastes 9:11 says that the race is not always for the swift nor the battle to the Strong.
Why? It says that Time and Chance happens to everything.
*Many atimes, the one who wins the race is not the Fastest.*
*Many of the times, the one who wins the Boxing Bout is not the Strongest.*
*In Life, the one who makes it to the Top is not always the Brightest!*
A friend of mine has two (2) sons – One of them was very Brilliant while the other wasn’t too Brilliant.
Somehow along a time in their Life, the one who is Brilliant I think became a Professor while the one who is not too Brilliant became a Governor.
The father says: That one gets Brain but the other one doesn’t have Brain but Lucky.
We all know what he is saying!
How many times do you see a Professor coming and there are Horse Riders?
*Whether you become a Winner or not in Life depends on God!*
Because in Romans 9: 15-16; it is written – God says that I will have Mercy on whom I will have Mercy and I will Compassion on whom I will have Compassion.
It says that it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God who shows Mercy.
I will tell you another Story from Sports:
That NUGA Games that I told you about incidentally took Place in 1965.
Before we left Nsukka, we sat down and examined our Possible areas of Victory – Where are we sure that we will win this one?
And it came to 100-Yatds Dash for Women – That is what they call it in those days.
Ha! We know that we have won that one because at that time; the Fastest Thing on this Earth was a Girl – And she was in our University.
She was Fast and so we already wrote down Gold for her.
And then the Day came – Heat, she left everybody far behind.
Then it came to the Final and we are already rejoicing that another Gold has come.
On your Mark, Steady, Go – And she was off. I mean she left the others far behind.
And then from a Short Distance to the end of the race, she fell – She got up and fell; she got up again and fell again. And then she began to crawl.
Oh, she made it to the Finishing Line but the fellow who would have been 2nd had become 1st; the one who would have been 3rd become 2nd and the one who would have no Position before now came in 3rd.
In Romans 9: 10-14; the Bible tells us that a Woman was Pregnant with a Set of Twins.
The two (2) were not yet born but God said: The Elder will serve the Younger because “I love the Younger and I hated the Elder”.
Ha! They are not yet born? Query God!
Sue Him for Proving to you that He is the Almighty, the Sovereign One and He does as He Pleases!
*If you have any sense at all – When you can’t beat Him then you join Him!*
*You think that you can win in Life without God’s Support? Don’t be a Joker!
*Success in Life is dependent one hundred Percent (109%) on God!*
I have told you the Story of two (2) boys – Twins. One become the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a huge Company and the other one was his Driver.
Two (2) boys? From the same Womb? – One ended up as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the other his Driver.
And when they asked him – How come you ask your Twin Brother to be your driving you?
He said that in this world of uncertainties; the only one that I am sure that will not drive me into the hands of Killers is my Brother.
You want to sit down and ask yourself – How can God allow things like that?
Ask God! Sue Him!
But if you have Wisdom, you will Team up with Him.
Because if He calls you a Winner, then you are a Winner!
If He says that you are a Looser – You try everything you can; you will loose!
That’s the Truth!
Be a Winner!
If you have Surrendered your Life to Him – Congratulations!
He can re-arrange the rest of your Life and get you to becoming a Winner!
If you have not yet Surrendered your Life to Him; do so because at the end of the Day, He determines Tomorrow!
He is the One who will determine how you will end up in Life!
*ALTAR CALL
So, if you are here or reading now on the Label of DMC and you have not yet Surrendered your Life to Jesus Christ but you want to do so now – I’m going to count from one (1) to five (5).
Before I say (5); come and Stand before the Altar.
Let me join my Prayers with yours and let Jesus Christ save your Soul.
I’m counting now!
Those of you who are infront and those on the way, say: Father, have Mercy on me, take over my Life from now as I Surrender to You.
I put my Life and Future in Your Hands, just take Absolute Control and I will serve You from now on.
Go ahead and talk to the Lord!
And the rest of us, let us Stretch our hands towards this our New Brothers and Sisters – And intercede for them.
And Pray that the One who saved our Souls will save their Souls also,
Thank You Father, Glory be to God.
In Jesus Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen!
*PRAYER FOR SALVATION*
Ancient of Days, I want to give you all Glory and Honour for these People who has responded to Your Words this Morning.
Please receive everyone of them, save their Souls, forgive all their sins, let Your Blood wash them Clean, receive them into the Family of God, write their names into the Book of Life.
And from this moment onwards, each time that they call on You, answer them by Fire.
And let the rest of their lives be Completely under Your Control.
In Jesus Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen!
Congratulations to those of you who has come forward!
I assure you that from now on by the Grace of God; I will be Praying for you.
But before you go, I want you to join the rest of us as we Pray,
*Those of you who believed that Today is your Day, let me hear you shout Hallelujah – Hallelujah!
*CLOSING PRAYER
My Father and my God, I commit all Your Children who has listened this Morning or reading now on the Label of DMC into Your Hands.
In Your Own Special Way, make all of us Winners and don’t let us loose forever.
And even in all cases where we have lost; my Father and my God, reverse the Irreversible.
And for the rest of our lives, let us be Winners!
In Jesus Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen!
*SPECIAL PERSONAL PRAYER REQUEST
David said that my Times are in Your Hands.
When you commit your Times into His Hands, He wil, guide you right and give you all you need to be a Winner.
*So, lift your Voice to the Almighty God this Morning and say: Almighty God, in the Mighry Name of Jesus; I Surrender my Times into Your Hands, let my Tomorrow be alright!*
Go ahead and talk to the Almighty God!!!
Thank you so much for staying all through to read.