—By Isaiah Ogedegbe
On the eve of the 1st Anniversary Celebration of Gihon City Bible Church precisely the 1st of February 2026, the senior pastor of the church, Rev. Lawrence O. Agbirekomi, delivered a message titled: “Redemption Restores Man’s Dominion.” He elucidated that it is only redemption through Christ that actually restores the God-given dominion that man had lost to sin and the devil in the Garden of Eden.
Speaking of man’s dominion at creation, he said that God had given divine dominion, spiritual authority and physical stewardship over the earth to man as well as the power to give names to all the animals. According to him, just as a lion carries an identity of strength in the animal kingdom, even so all true believers carry the identity of Christ in their spiritual DNA.
The man of God also spoke of how man had lost his dominion through his disobedience to God’s instruction, when the devil used Eve to deceive man in order to steal his dominion. He insisted that since then, every bad thing on earth has been caused by the devil and not by God. However, there is still the grace for exemption available to all true believers and a sure pattern of redemption that comes only through Christ.
He further revealed that after the fall of man, the authority shifted from God-centered rule to man’s self-centered rule. Over the years, man seemed to have become a shadow of himself, a ruler only by design but no longer demonstrably in charge of the earth.
He also pointed out that after the fall of man, his dominion was corrupted but not totally erased. For this reason, till today man can still tame even the wild animals and exercise only but a fragment of his God-given dominion over them. Also, after his tragic fall, he became subject to sin and the devil’s influence. Satan then gained control of his mind and dictated all his actions to his own detriment.
He urged congregants to always renew their minds with God’s Word to overcome temptations, while alluding to Jesus Himself who was tempted with food, fame and power and yet he overcame all of them. “We do not test power,” he declared, “we manifest God’s glory.”
He also called on congregants to always stay humble and teachable while rendering genuine service to God, because it will make God bless them richly, give them the right connections and speedily bring their helpers to them.
Finally, he spoke of redemption through Christ and insisted that by that redemption, the dominion that God gave to man in the beginning was once again restored. Today, man’s sin is not only forgiven, but also his spiritual authority in Christ is fully restored. Glory to God!
