Note: this article is from the first message preached by Reverend Sola Adesope following his installation as Superintendent General of the worldwide Apostolic Faith work. It was preached on the final Sunday of the 2024 international camp meeting in Portland, Oregon.

This morning, we will consider a topic that is known to many of us because it is the phrase used for our church logo: Jesus, the Light of the World. In John 8:12, we find these words: “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” 

To provide some historical context, the logo was first displayed in 1917 as an electric sign on our church building at Front and Burnside in Portland, Oregon. When the tabernacle we are currently sitting in was built in 1921, it featured the same words on the front of the building. Through all the changes in society over the past 103 years, the words “Jesus the Light of the World” are still there. 

When the downtown headquarters church was moved to Sixth and Burnside in 1922, the same message was displayed on top of that building. It was proclaimed from that spot for about sixty years, and its position at the heart of downtown Portland made it a well-known landmark. During those years, there were some who intended to jump from the Burnside Bridge into the Willamette River and take their own lives. But when they came to the bridge, they saw that big sign: “Jesus, the Light of the World.” The Spirit of God moved in their hearts and stopped them from committing suicide. They walked into our church, listened to Gospel meetings, and the Lord saved their souls. 

Through the years, our branch churches around the world have also chosen to display the same heart-warming message of hope: that Jesus Christ is the Light of the world. By the grace of God, those words will never be set aside in our generation! As an organization, we will continue to maintain that Jesus is the Light of the world because He said if He is lifted up, He will draw all men—everyone, men and women, boys and girls—unto Himself. 

The “light” a theme of John’s Gospel

Throughout the Gospel of John, the Apostle introduced Jesus as the Light of the world. The word light appears six times in the first nine verses of chapter 1. To mention a few instances, in verse 4 we read, “In him [Jesus] was life; and the life was the light of men.” The word light appears again in verse 5, which states, “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” In verse 9 we read, “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” And that theme continues in subsequent chapters. For instance, John 3:19 states, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” This list could go on and on, because the Gospel of John has a lot to say about Jesus being the Light of the world. 

The Bible is very clear about the meaning of “light” and “darkness” in a spiritual sense. We read in Colossians 1:12-14, “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” Salvation brings forgiveness of sin—deliverance from the power of darkness. 

In this camp meeting, many have been delivered from darkness. Those of you who are present this morning and are still in sin, you are in darkness. But God does not want you to continue in that condition! He wants to bring you “out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9). I love that adjective “marvellous.” This is not just ordinary light. It is wonderful, life-transforming Light! 

Four aspects of spiritual light

This morning let us consider four aspects of spiritual light. 

Light and darkness cannot coexist. Impossible! It will never happen. The first chapter of Genesis relates, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness” (verses 1-4). From the beginning, God established that light and darkness cannot coexist. This earth was formless, shapeless, and darkness was upon it. The very first spoken words of God recorded in Scripture were, “Let there be light”! That shows the importance of light. And the very first decision God made was to divide light from darkness. In effect, God was saying, “Light, you cannot coexist with darkness.” He put a division between the two.

Whenever there is darkness in any place or in any life, light disappears. And whenever there is light, darkness disappears. When you are saved—when Jesus, the Light of the world comes into your heart—the darkness of sin disappears. You cannot live in sin and claim to be saved. Impossible! There are no sinning Christians. There is no sin in Heaven, and there is no holiness in Hell. 

Let us look again at 1 Peter 2:9, which speaks of this “marvellous light.” We read there, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” God is saying you are not an ordinary person. As you go back to your branch churches, you are extraordinary because you have been called out of darkness into light. An ordinary person—a sinner—has been transformed into a child of God. You are no longer ordinary, you are extraordinary! 

One of our veteran pastors has told us many times that we are a minority with a majority status. I love that! You may be few in number in your local church. You may think, We are a minority. Our congregation is only fifteen or twenty. Just go forth and preach the Gospel! Remember, one with God is a majority. The power of God will rest upon your meetings as you preach Christ who was crucified to deliver people from sin! That is the focal point of the Gospel message. We don’t want to shift that aside. Even if the message brings conviction, we want to be faithful in proclaiming it, so people can be delivered from the darkness of sin.

Darkness conceals, but light reveals. Without light we cannot see things that are hidden or concealed. When I clean the furniture at home,I initially think I have done a good job. Then the morning or afternoon sunlight shines through the window and I see all the dirt that I missed!  That is what the light of the Gospel does. When we open our hearts and let the light shine in, we may see that it’s “not my brother, not my sister, but it’s me, Oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer.”

If you have things in your life that you are concealing or that you don’t want anybody to know about, take note: the things that darkness conceals are open to God. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” God knows! His Word says that the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good (see Proverbs 15:3). If you try to conceal a matter, it will be revealed on the Day of Judgment. But when you confess it to God, your sins will go before you to judgment, rather than follow after. God will forgive your sins and illuminate your life with light—the light of the Gospel! 

Light provides guidance. In the prayer room before our services, we sometimes hear requests asking that God will give guidance in certain situations. Just take Jesus with you! He will provide guidance. It’s difficult to walk in the dark, isn’t it? But light can help us see where we are headed. In the same way, Jesus, the Light of the world, will give us direction. Life is full of many unknowns. We need to be led and guided through the wilderness of life, and it is only Jesus who can lead us. 

One songwriter wrote these words: “In shady green pastures so rich and so sweet, God leads His dear children along.” Sometimes we go through the valley, and at other times we may seem to be in the darkest of night, but wherever we are, we know God leads His dear children along. The song says, “Some through the waters, some through the flood. Some through the fire, but all through the Blood.” Some go through great sorrow—situations that are hard to understand. Some say, “Lord, why me? Why am I going through this?” We may not know the reason, but one thing we do know: He will lead you along if you will trust Him. He will give you a song in the night. God gave Paul and Silas a song in prison, and the prison doors began to shake because Jesus was there! The power of God can rest upon you in your seasons of dark night, in your seasons of sorrow, if you take Jesus with you. He will give you direction.

Darkness can never, and will never, overcome light. John 1:5 tells us that “the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” That phrase, “the darkness comprehended it not,” means that the darkness of evil has never and will never extinguish God’s light. 

In Old Testament times, darkness did not overcome light. In the New Testament era, darkness could not overcome light. In the early years of our church, many people came to mock our founder, Florence Crawford and the Gospel meetings she was holding. They threw rotten eggs and all sorts of things at the platform, but the darkness did not overcome the truth that was being proclaimed back then in 1906. It will not overcome us now! By the grace of God, we will march forward. By the grace of God, we will not go back. 

Don’t let anything take you out of the Gospel. Our former Superintendent General, Brother Loyce Carver, used to say that anyone who would not be discouraged, will not be discouraged. So don’t let the devil discourage you. Don’t let anything discourage you! As you go back home and serve God in your branch churches, keep on shining for Jesus. Darkness will not overcome your church. It will not overcome you! God will raise up help for us as we continue to walk in His light.

Light in the tunnel

Maybe today you are going through a period of darkness in your life. There is a common saying, “There is light at the end of the tunnel,” and it sounds good to hear that there is a ray of hope ahead. But I want to tell you this morning that there is not just light at the end of the tunnel, there is light in the tunnel! In the tunnel of life, Jesus will be there with you. 

He was there with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they were thrown unto the fiery furnace. The king who ordered them cast in asked, “Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” When the answer was affirmative, he said, “Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God” (Daniel 3:24-25). Jesus does not let us just go through the fire of life alone: He goes through with us, and He holds our hands.

Isaiah 43:2 promises, “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” The Lord will be with us, whatever we are going through. Let the devil heat the furnace seven times! By the grace of our great God of Heaven, Jesus the Light of the world will see us through. He says an abundant entrance shall be opened unto us. We shall get to Heaven by the special grace of God.

Are you in a dark period of life today? Perhaps circumstances have dealt a heavy blow to you, to your health, or to your family. Perhaps you have prayed but have yet to be saved, sanctified, or filled with the Holy Spirit. Do not be discouraged! Look to the Light and God will encourage you. He will hear and He will answer.