Pastor Dr. Johnson Funsho Odesola says believers who fail to keep moving forward will one day regret the missed progress, according to sermon notes taken by a Confiance News correspondent at the event.
Pastor Dr. Johnson Funsho Odesola, Continental Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Continent 3, has charged Christians to keep making progress in life, warning that those who stagnate will live to regret it.
Odesola spoke while delivering the sermon at the inaugural service marking the elevation of Solidrock Parish, Ojodu, to regional status as Region 68, Confiance News has learned.
There is a crawling, walking and flying moment
Speaking from Philippians 13-14, under the theme “Don’t stop, keep moving,” Odesola told the congregation that life presents different stages of advancement, comparing them to crawling, walking and flying.
”You need to make progress. If you don’t make progress, you will regret it,” he said, according to a sermon note obtained by Confiance News.
Why believers must keep moving forward
The cleric explained that God’s presence, drawn from Hebrews 13:5, stabilizes the believer’s journey and gives every Christian a reason to keep pressing on, since He dwells within them. He also pointed to the forgiveness of sins, referencing 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Colossians 1:14, as grounds for believers to move forward unburdened by their past. Odesola further noted that the Holy Spirit empowers believers to navigate a world full of evil, citing Luke 10:19 and 1 Peter 2:5, and stressed that the hope of a better future should inspire continued progress, drawing on Philippians 1:6 and 1 Corinthians 15:19. According to the cleric, departed saints are cheering believers on from heaven, as recorded in Hebrews 12:1 and Luke 15:10, while labour invested in the journey will ultimately be rewarded, per 1 Corinthians 15:58. He warned, however, that God is displeased with those who backslide.
Enemies working against believers’ progress
Odesola also identified obstacles that hinder spiritual and personal advancement, Confiance News gathered. He named secret sins, referenced in Proverbs 28, and impatience with God, drawn from Ecclesiastes 3 and Isaiah 40:31, as common hindrances, alongside a lack of purpose or direction cited in Proverbs 29:18. He distinguished vision from ambition, describing vision as a clear picture of the future without which believers cannot move forward.
The cleric urged the congregation to let go of past setbacks, referencing Isaiah 43:18, and cautioned against keeping wrong company, citing Proverbs 13:20. According to Odesola, associations fall into two categories: pillars and caterpillars. “Who they born you with, you don’t have a say, but who you make your friends is your choice,” he said. He further warned against wrong counsel and against undermining others’ progress, referencing Galatians 6:7.
Mechanisms for sustaining forward movement
Odesola outlined what he described as five Cs for sustained progress, sighted by Confiance News. He said believers must first have confidence in God, followed by commitment to the journey ahead. Cheerfulness, he noted, is equally essential, since anyone seeking friends must first be friendly. He listed courage as another requirement, alongside continuity, which he described as the resolve to keep moving until the race is finished.
Renewed strength awaits those who persist, cleric assures
Citing Isaiah 40:31, Odesola assured worshippers that those who continue moving forward would have their strength renewed. He closed the sermon with a charge for believers to take responsibility for their own decisions to progress, urging the congregation to seek divine strength for the journey ahead.
Who is Pastor Dr. Johnson Funsho Odesola
Pastor Dr. Johnson Funsho Odesola is the Continental Overseer of RCCG Continent 3 and a member of the RCCG Governing Council. He is one of the most academically decorated clerics within the denomination, holding six PhDs, four master’s degrees and four first degrees across engineering, theology, law, business administration, communication, musicology and cultural anthropology. Beyond the pulpit, Odesola has built a reputation as a prolific author, having written more than 150 books on leadership, faith and Christian living.
His family ties also place him within RCCG’s inner circle of prominent Christian households. Two of his daughters are married into notable ministry families, one to the son of RCCG General Overseer Pastor Enoch Adeboye, and another to the son of Mount Zion Faith Ministries founder Evangelist Mike Bamiloye.
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