Zilly Aggrey Harps On Obedience, Humility, Forgiveness As Lazarus Azia Is Ordained Bishop

The General Overseer of Royal House of Grace International Church, Apostle David Zilly Aggrey has stressed that obedience, humility; forgiveness and uprightness remain intrinsic virtues necessary in discharging the office of a Bishop.

Speaking during the Bishopric Consecration of Rev. Lazarus Saro Azia at Life Giver Ministries, Rumukalagbor, Port Harcourt on Saturday, Apostle Aggrey said as a chief servant of God and humanity, these attributes must be entrenched in the life of a Bishop for effective representation as God’s ambassador in the church and on earth.

At the colorful ceremony that was graced by the cream of society including the clergy, captains of industry, politicians, traditional rulers and numerous guests from sister churches, Apostle Aggrey showed the way as he openly washed the feet of Bishop Azia to replicate Christ’s washing of the feet of his apostles before the Last Support.

He admonished the Bishop to make it as the first official duty after the consecration as he goes to church on Sunday.

“As you go to church on Sunday under the new status and anointing, ensure to wash the feet of a small child, an old man and a poor man or woman”, he charged Bishop Azia.

In a brief sermon which Apostle Aggrey expressly declared he had not come to ‘preach’ but to ‘work’ as revealed by the Holy Spirit, the revered Man of God described the event as a consecrated consecration, taking his text from John 11 and 12. He said the event was what he called divine appointment not only for Bishop Azia but also for all those in attendance.

Stressing that the Bishop deserved the honour given his unbridled integrity, the Apostle said he was in church to take away ‘stones’ that have been placed over peoples destinies, stating: “They placed stones over your destinies because they saw your future and what it portends”.

He also prophesied and prayed for Bishop Lazarus Azia who by coincidence or providence shared same name with Lazarus the central character where the Apostle took his message and whose destiny Christ reversed by directing the removal of the stones placed over his grave.

Continuing, Apostle Aggrey who is the International President and Founder of the International Network of Apostolic Ministry (INTERACT) later handed a loaf of unsliced bread to Bishop Azia whose wife, Pastor (Mrs.) Stella Azia stood beside him at the altar, reminding the couple to keep the church just like the bread and not do anything to break her.

At the event which was spiced by inspirational songs rendered by five participating choirs including the famous Royal Classical Choir of Royal House of Grace Church, Port Harcourt, Apostle Zilly Aggrey also handed to Bishop Azia, a notebook, biro, pencil and an eraser where he asked him to write on the notebook using a pen on a space and then, a pencil on another space. As the Bishop complied, Aggrey then asked him to erase what he had written but tried as he could, the Bishop only succeeded in erasing the part written with a biro.

“As much as you can, do not write offences in your heart with biro (symbolic) but do so with pencil which can easily be erased”, he charged.

Also handing a lit candle to the Bishop, Aggrey prophesied that as the light illuminated the auditorium, so shall men see the light in him.  He was also presented with a ring by the College of Bishops, an affiliate of INTERACT to stamp his membership of the body.

Other instruments given to the Bishop were cross; perfume and bible signify covenant, sweet fragrance and preaching respectively.

In his speech, Bishop Lazarus Azia acknowledged that his ascension to the Bishopric was made possible through God’s grace and described the event as the best thing to happen in his life. 

“My vision statement is evangelism.  That I am where I am today is the product of grace through evangelism.  The best I will do in honour of this God’s upliftment is to continue to serve God and humanity by doing the very work that God used to raise me to this point.

“I will embark on evangelism; rural evangelism; one-on-one evangelism – anything that will help me to take the gospel to people anywhere in the world.  So, whatever I used to do before, I trust that I would do it much more than before.  I will be the Bishop on the street”, he posited.

On the current socio-political and economic logjam currently plaguing the nation, Bishop Azia said the solution lies with a total return to God by the leadership.

“Number one is that we return to God.  Number two is that we return to God and number three is that we return to God.  The place we are today is as a result of us not obeying the word of God”, he declared.