Article | - 12:38 pm
The Event Welcomed Thousands of People Across the USA Who Decided to Make the Lord Jesus Their Forever Shepherd
On Sunday, September 29th, across the USA and all over the world, the Lord Jesus received His sheep into His sheepfold, and there was a feast in Heaven. Many who have been unchurched and also many who have turned away from God, returned on this day and were received with open arms.
At every location of The Universal Church worldwide, a special event took place, a great celebration, the Sunday to Return to the Fold. In Brooklyn, NYC, Bishop Joshua, with the congregation, welcomed those returning, prayed for them, and read the following words of the Lord Jesus:
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
Bishop Joshua then shared a video that illustrates the care of the good shepherd to his sheep:
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)
Bishop Joshua then shared these words, “When the Lord Jesus said this, He had not died yet. But now, the good news is, Hallelujah, He died already for us! He died on the cross for you. He will gather the sheep with His arms and carry them in His bosom.”
Those present were able to see the testimony of Mr. Solomon, who was a lost sheep. He turned away from God after suffering a major disappointment in his love life. However, through the prayers and faith of his mother, he returned to God’s sheepfold and decided to prioritize his salvation and the Holy Spirit.
“I had the Holy Spirit as a priority in my life. It was the toughest thing to do: to give up the desire and the will. I wanted to show God that nothing I had was more important than Him in my life, that I would rather be broke and have the Holy Spirit and feel rich inside of me than have any material stuff and feel empty and lonely. I wanted to receive the Holy Spirit. That day, I was just more concerned about worshiping God, praising Him, and being thankful. And the next thing I knew, I was just filled. I was so happy. I had never felt so happy. I had never felt so relieved, so peaceful. I just remember being so full of joy. I remember just feeling so fired up inside. It was just this uncontrollable joy and peace. And that fire began to burn inside of me again to serve God and win souls. God has restored me twice as much in every way. I am now happily married, but overall, my spiritual life has not been the same; it’s been restored. Now, I no longer fear death. I no longer fear anything.” (Mr. Solomon)
Bishop Joshua mentioned a Psalm that is widely known among several religions and beliefs and that many associate with prosperity. However, he explained that, although well-known, many are those who do not truly comprehend the deeper meaning described in Psalm 23: the relationship of care and trust between the shepherd and his sheep.
“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:1-3)
The bishop explained, “King David, before becoming a king, used to work in the fields, taking care of the sheep. King David was a shepherd, a boy tending the sheep and calling each sheep by name. Now, when talking about himself, he made the Lord his Shepherd when he said, in other words, ‘The Lord is my Shepherd, just as I am the shepherd of these animals. The Lord now is my Shepherd. I shall not want. Just as I take the sheep to the green pastures, the Lord makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters,’ because this is what King David used to do for his sheep. Now I imagine he would say, ‘If I do that for my sheep, my Lord, that is my Shepherd, will you do much more for me.’ Once you give your life to Jesus, or you return to His sheepfold, He leads you to the green pastures. He works with you in a way that you are going to miss nothing, lack nothing, as long as He is your Shepherd, as long as you are His sheep.”
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)
The bishop also encouraged those already inside God’s sheepfold to stay with Him at all times, “King David was looking after the sheep as a shepherd. He was rescuing those who fell into holes. When the sheep is out there, it doesn’t know how to defend itself. Don’t try it. Don’t think, ‘I can handle it.’ You can’t. A sheep is very innocent. A sheep cannot defend itself.”
The bishop then added, “The shepherd has a piece of stick, a piece of a stick to rescue the sheep, and David used to do it. Then he probably thought, ‘If I make the Lord my Shepherd, His rod, His staff will comfort me, will lead me.’ Now imagine if that sheep did not have a shepherd. Imagine you without the Shepherd, without Jesus!”
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:5-6)
Bishop Joshua recalled the example of Mr. Solomon’s testimony and added, “This testimony shows what you should do. You who are returning today, let go of your past, what you did, what you did not do. Forget about even those days in church. Let us make this day special. Mr. Solomon said that he got delivered again, he was baptized again, and he prioritized the Holy Spirit. And he received the Holy Spirit, and because God does not do anything halfway, he’s married again. He is serving the Lord because the fire of the Holy Spirit is burning inside of him.”
If you have turned away from God, like Mr. Solomon, and you desire to return to the Lord, do not wait another day. The doors of The Universal Church are open daily with daily prayer services, one-on-one free spiritual counseling available, and a main service on Sundays at 10 AM. All are welcome regardless of religion or background. Come as you are.
For more information on locations, please call 1-888-332-4141 or text 1-888-312-4141. You may also contact us via our contact form (click here). For those who live in areas without a location of The Universal Church, you may also connect to our Virtual Church via Zoom Conference.
