God Manifests Sons, Not Children — Pastor Olutayo-Salawu Tells Believers

The President of the Nigeria Centre for World Mission, Christ Apostolic Church Revival Centre, Pastor Olufemi Olutayo-Salawu, has urged believers to transcend spiritual infancy and advance into the maturity of sonship, stressing that God does not manifest children but sons.

He gave the charge on Wednesday during the morning session of the seventh day of the Revival Conference, which commenced last Thursday and concludes today.

He drew on the natural progression of a child from infancy to maturity to illustrate the successive stages a believer must pass through in the journey towards spiritual maturity.

Referring to Luke 2:40, which records that the child Jesus grew and became strong in spirit, and Matthew 3:17, where God declared Him His beloved Son, the man of God drew a distinction between spiritual childhood and sonship, stressing that spiritual maturity is not measured by the length of one’s stay in church but by the depth of one’s growth in the knowledge, understanding, and practice of the Word of God.

He identified four stages of growth, beginning with the newborn or infant stage, where a baby depends entirely on others for virtually everything, remains largely in one position, sleeps frequently and communicates mainly through crying, noting that a spiritual babe similarly displays these traits in the spirit.

The second stage, he explained, is the toddler stage, in which the child has grown beyond infancy but remains limited in his ability to express himself and appreciate the value of what is entrusted to him, noting that a toddler could be handed something as precious as a gold wristwatch and still treat it as a toy because he lacks the maturity to recognise its worth, just as a spiritually immature believer may fail to discern the value of what God has placed in his hands.

He described the third stage as puberty, a period when an individual begins to distinguish between right and wrong and develops the capacity to make deliberate choices, explaining that the same progression occurs spiritually as a believer becomes increasingly conscious of his decisions and gains a deeper understanding of the consequences of his actions.

The fourth stage, he said, is maturity, which represents the position of a son, where the believer has grown into the fullness expected of him, knows what is right and chooses to do it, understands his rights and responsibilities, and can still receive correction without picking umbrage because he understands that his Father’s correction comes from love.

Speaking on how believers can grow into sonship, Pastor Olutayo-Salawu urged them to first identify their present level of spiritual development by conducting an honest self examination and determining whether they are still at the stage of infancy, toddlerhood, puberty or have attained maturity.

He further charged them to devote themselves to spiritual development and deliberately pursue those things that promote growth, particularly the undiluted Word of God, referencing Acts 20:32 to place emphasis on the fact that spiritual growth is not a function of age or length of time in the faith, but of being established and equipped through the knowledge of God’s Word.

The man of God also encouraged believers to engage perpetually in spiritual exercises, noting that the Christian journey comes with battles and pressures that a believer who remains spiritually immature may lack the understanding and wherewithal to withstand.

He maintained that it should be a source of concern for a believer who has spent years in the faith to still require persuasion before attending church, stressing that a genuine son should have developed a personal hunger for God and a sincere desire for the things of the Kingdom.

Pastor Olutayo-Salawu therefore urged the congregation to move beyond spiritual infancy and press towards maturity, stressing that God is seeking believers who have attained sonship and can be entrusted with greater responsibilities in His Kingdom.

He concluded that when a believer attains such spiritual maturity, he becomes a vessel whom God can entrust with His purpose, saying, “When you grow to that son level, God can now say, yes, I am satisfied, I can manifest this one.”

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