Sermon for the Young People

1. CERTIFYING FOR THE KINGDOM: ETHICS OF INVESTITURE
A LECTURE PRESENTED
BY
PASTOR ENYINNAYA KALU KALU UGURU
DURING THE
SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH
EASTERN NIGERIA UNION CONFERENCE (ENUC)
MAIDEN SENIOR YOUTH LEADERSHIP (SYL) AWARD AND CELEBRATION
AT
ENUC HEADQUARTERS, ABA
ON
MARCH 4 – 6, 2022.

2. INTRODUCTION
It is indeed a rare privilege to stand before
you to make this presentation on the
occasion of the Eastern Nigeria Union
Conference (ENUC) Maiden Senior Youth
Leadership Award and Celebration.

3. It is no longer news that there are noticeable compromises in the
investiture programme, (from preparation of the young people to
the ceremony itself). The outcomes of such compromises are
clear and glaring. The rebellion, hooliganism, the neglect of
church doctrines and policies, derailment of the church from its
known standard practices and others are the impacts of the
compromises on the young people and the church in general.

4. The situation today, Apostle Paul
foresaw when he wrote that men
(young people) exist in the church who
“Having a form of godliness,
but denying the power thereof: from
such turn away” (2Tim. 3:15).

5. This presentation, therefore, intends to call on all
who are involved in AYM investiture to shun all
manner of comprises and embrace the high standards
of the ethical principles of AYM investiture. As not
upholding or compromising them will mar the
investing officer’s and/or investee’s certification for
the kingdom.

6. DEFINITION OF TERMS
Certifying -To “officially
recognize as possessing
certain qualifications or
meeting certain standards.”

7. Kingdom- Refers to the reward every
true Christian is expecting at the
return of Jesus.

8. Ethics- “Moral principles that govern a
person’s behavior or the conduction of
an activity.”
“it consists of the standard of behavior our
society accepts.”
“Being ethical is doing what the law
requires.”

9. Investiture It is the “Formal Ceremony of conferring
the authority and symbol of high office.” It is also
referred to as “an open acknowledgement and
certification of excellence” for the Adventist Youth
Ministry. It is a ceremony performed to acknowledge
the satisfactory completion of a class requirement
and the beginning of a higher class requirement or a
call to a higher leadership responsibility.

10. MAJOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LAW AND ETHICS.

11. “Law imposes a punishment or penalty
for defaulters of the provision of the
law, while ethics does not impose any
penalty or punishment for its breach as
they are just religious, social and moral
beliefs and guiding principles”

12. “Law requires enforcement through
regulatory bodies and enforcement
agencies, while ethics does not require
any enforcement through enforcement
agencies.”

13. “Law is objective and assertive, while ethics is
flexible and subjective.”

14. “Law is the set of rules and regulations
which direct and govern the behavior of
individuals in the society, ethnics on the
other hand is the moral principles which
control the behavior of individuals in the
society.”

15. SOME AYM ETHICS OF
INVESTITURE

16. 1. Investiture should cause the young person to take
up new responsibility that enables him or her
influence others positively
2. Investiture in the Adventist Youth Ministry
should make one a responsible citizen of his or her
country and member of the church that train others
to become strong workforce for Jesus.

17. 3. Investiture should not be influenced by
compassion, favour or sympathy.
4. Every activity in the class must have been
satisfactorily covered and an appreciable level of
knowledge gained by the investee.
5. Every investee must be presented for public
screening during the investiture ceremony. The
investing officer determines the extent of the
screening.

18. 6. Anyone invested in a class must have
qualified to lead others to be objectively invested
in the same class.
7. Leaders are expected to rigorously train the
young people for investiture.

19. 8. Investiture is conducted by the
conference/mission youth director
or his designee.
.

20. It is observed that some have compromised
these ethics of AYM investiture. This has
affected the performance of AYM and its
programmes. Standards have been
relegated to the background. Mediocrity
has replaced excellence.

21. THE PROBLEM: The ethics do not take
anyone to Heaven.
1.It does not matter.
2.The desire to be good to everybody at all cost
3.Help me, I help you
4.Not in the ten commandments[Ex. 20: 1-17]
5.Ignorance
6.Pride
7.Favoritism
8.Bottom power
9.Ethnic/sectional inclination

22. 11. He or she knows it already
12. Systemic problem
13. Disobedience

23. The Big Questions
As an AYM investing officer/AYM investee, how
have you been faithful with the application of AYM
ethics of investiture?
NOTE: The standards, obligations, the good things
you do through faith in Christ to be certified, to
qualify, for heaven, includes the ethics of AYM
investiture

24. Put in another way:
AYM ethics of investiture are included in
the standards, obligations, good things you
have to do through faith in Christ Jesus to
be certified for heaven- God’s eternal
Kingdom.

25. Ethics of Investiture Impacts Certification for the Kingdom
 Obedience is key in the Christian’s believe in
Christ [Gen. 3; 1Sam. 15: 22- 23; 2Kings 5: 10-14].
The Christian’s obedience is not just limited to God.
It includes obedience to fellow man, traditional
governmental and religious institutions. The
christian’s obedience to ethical standards the church
or society accepts is obedience Christ Himself.

26.  Covenant/ Agreement/pledge : Every AYM investing
officer or investee has covenanted/agreed/pledged to
the ethics of AYM investiture. Any not keeping to these
ethics sins against God Himself.
 Though not limited to them, character traits such as
faithfulness, sincerity, trustworthiness, honesty,
integrity, humility and dependability are employed not
just in dealings with God. They are also very vital
when dealing with humans, organizations, groups and
other structures, such as AYM.

27. Matt. 25:24-30
Prov. 22: 29; 16: 2,8
1Cor. 14:40
James. 4:17
Ezek. 18:4
Eccl. 12:13-14

28. Every true Christian and believer in Christ
is, among other things, to practice, promote
and preserve whatever encourages growth,
unity, discipline, and orderliness, in the
body of Christ and in the general public.

29. CONCLUSION
The kingdom of God is real. Those who are being
certified for it are those who have through faith in
Christ lived every aspect of their lives rightly,
Including upholding the AYM ethics of investiture,
with God and fellow Humans and groups/
organizations, like the CHURCH - AYM, AWM,
AMO.

30. APPEAL
In the cause of my putting this lecture together, I
discovered that those who are appointed to
lead/coordinate/guide/organize the young people
should possess following qualities:

31. 1.Integrity
2.Ethical beings
3.Consistency
4.Selfless
5.Open minded
6.Humble
7.God fearing
8.Sincerity
9.Faithfulness
10.Trustworthiness
11.Dependability
12.Self-control