I came to Abuja to speak at Michael Orokpo’s Convocation of leaders. But before I’d said a word, Nigeria was already teaching me about honour, hospitality and the power of making people feel at home.

I’m writing this from Abuja, Nigeria, where I’ve been invited by my friend Apostle Michael Orokpo to speak at The Convocation 2026.

I am here with my daughter Emma who of course co-leads LAUNCH and I was invited to preach and teach about Christian leadership throughout the programme, including the ordination of ministers on Saturday and speaking at the main event on Sunday night in the national arena. Quite an opportunity and challenge when I look at so many incredible leaders who are here to teach and also worship ministry leaders including a personal favourite Nathaniel Bassey who I first heard in Manchester!

But before the conference even starts, Nigeria is teaching me a lot.

One lesson in particular has really struck me: the power of honour and hospitality — making people feel at home so they can become all God has called them to be.

They go out of their way to make you feel welcome here. Not just accommodated – appreciated. Welcomed.

The Bible doesn’t merely tell us to respond hospitably. Romans 12 tells us to pursue hospitality – chase the chance to make other people feel honoured, welcomed and at home and here people meet you and greet you, honour you, help you, feed you. Introduce you generously. Keep checking that you have everything you need.

You very quickly get the message:

You are welcome here. We are glad you came. While you are with us, you are family.

And I think we in Britain have something to learn from that about welcoming others..

Meeting Michael Orokpo — Before I Knew What A ‘Kind of a Big Deal’ This Was

My friend Michael invited me to be part of The Convocation here in Abuja one day after sending a message on WhatsApp. I had spoken as part of the same program twice before and in between I was watching his incredible teaching on YouTube and getting not just informed but inspired over and over.

When he first invited me, I genuinely didn’t realise what a big deal it was – or, for that matter, what a big deal he is! Because he doesn’t pursue the following or Youtube subscribers, he just presses into the Lord and pushes the glory straight onto God every time. We just became friends, connected when we could and friendship grew – I just liked the man but since then I have increasingly come to believe that like Bishop Benson Idahosa – a predecessor I read about many years ago when I first came to the Lord,  Michael Orokpo is one of those voices rising from Africa that will shake the nations.

Being here has also strengthened something else I have believed for some time.

The future of the world is African.

Demographically, Africa will carry an enormous proportion of the world’s young people in this century. But I mean more than demographics. There is a battle here. And there is faith here. There is hunger here. There is an expectation of MORE from God here.

There are things the Western church has lost or forgotten that our African brothers and sisters can help us rediscover. I am grateful many of them are coming to Manchester and even joining us at Ivy Church

We used to think about Britain sending missionaries to Africa. A Nigerian leader here already thanked God we did, today. But the tide really is turning as Africa sends missionaries to us.

I love the church in the USA where often the UK church has looked for models and there’s still value in looking East. But the flight due South last night reminded me that Africa has many thousands of leaders we need to hear, for through them God has lessons we need to learn.

So I’m here with a Bible in one hand, and a notebook in the other. Last night after three hours of passionate worship the preacher Dr Paul Enenche spoke on Kingdom Order vs the disaster of Disorder. At the end many hundreds came forward for prayer it was so powerful. His church down the road from here seats 100,000 people and no wonder! He also has conducted 37 missions so far this year including in many other nations and at the end he prayed for me in a private meeting with words that read my mind and my mail! I will try to blog a little of what I am learning but usually there’s so much so fast it’s like trying to catch a fire hydrant with a bucket!

What Nigeria Is Teaching Me About Honour And Hospitality

So I’ll go back to how seriously people take honour. The very word can make some British people uncomfortable. We don’t want to make too much of anybody. Don’t make a fuss. Just in case anyone get above themselves (ie is encouraged). Keep it understated.

And yes, I know Jesus warned leaders not to love titles or seek recognition, status and the best seats. But the answer to pride is not dishonour.

The Bible actually says: “Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves.”
Romans 12:10

Perhaps sometimes in Britain we have underplayed honour, to our shame – and it spills over into every area of public life which really matters because honour isn’t flattery.

Honour is recognising the God-given value in another person – the reflection of Him in them – and treating them accordingly.

And hospitality is honour in action.

Abraham: The Leader Who Opened His Tent

I have taught about this before as a key leadership lesson from Genesis 18.

Abraham is sitting at the entrance to his tent when three strangers appear. The rabbis said he would always pitch his tent at the crossroads and open the doors wide for visitors who were passing. So now he gets moving, with water for their feet and shade from the heat.

“Sarah — make some bread!” They find the best calf and get the BBQ going.

Give them the best.

John Adair wrote that way leadership worked in that ancient culture — and continued among Bedouin communities — was that the Sheik, the leader, was the most generous and hospitable person in the community and as he increased so he blessed more people.

I’ve taught before about the tradition that Abraham would pitch his tent where travellers could find him and be welcomed. Contrary to various ‘leaders’ these days, his greatness wasn’t demonstrated by how many people ran around serving him.

His greatness was demonstrated by how eagerly and generously he served them.

I’m seeing so much of that in Nigeria and I have seen it in other nations too – even among some of the poorest they are rich in love and generous in welcome..

Of course Abraham did not know who had arrived. He wasn’t thinking: “God’s here in disguise! I’d better treat him as a VIP.”

He treated the visitors well not because of who they were, but because that’s who he was. Only afterwards does he discover that in opening his tent to strangers, he made room for a visitation from God that would bless him and everyone in the whole world subsequently. Because from the meeting, a promise comes. Isaac. Don’t laugh – it’s going to happen! This is how God works.

We Don’t Give To Get

Abraham didn’t serve them to get the blessing. I have just written a book on generosity that I’ll plan to launch at LAUNCH (see what I did there?) where I aim to show that in the Kingdom generosity is never manipulation. So we don’t honour somebody – God included – because we’ve calculated what they can do for us.

We don’t give tithes and offerings because we’re trying to make God owe us something. We give because people matter, because we’re family, because God honours people and so should we. Like Abraham…

We are blessed to be a blessing.

I have seen again and again, a strange, powerful and wonderful Kingdom principle at work that when we open our lives, calendars, homes and wallets to others, we make room for more of God too.

Hebrews 13:2 says:

“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

You never know who may turn up at the tent.

Great Leaders Make People Feel At Home

This is a leadership lesson too, that If you want to get the best from people, give them your best and make them feel at home.

When people know they are welcomed, they relax, they contribute. They stop wondering whether they belong and start bringing what they carry.

The Bedouins were onto something – what if the marks of leadership included who was the warmest, kindest most attentive and gracious person in the room? The most generous? The one most determined that nobody remains an outsider?

To walk in anywhere with that posture and instead of asking, “What can this person do for us?” we get interested in them and think,

“How can we make them feel at home?”

That’s not peripheral or optional to good leadership.

That IS true leadership.

Opening Your Door Is Opening Your Life

Nigeria does this exceptionally but I’ve experienced this kind of hospitality in many other parts of the world too. I’ve sat with leaders across the Middle East where the smiles are huge, the food is wonderful, the conversation is lively as you realise you are no longer being treated like a visitor but family.

Opening your door is opening your life to another.

I’m reminded of that every day I am here and even in the fact that I am here and I don’t want to go home and forget it in the rush of living in a place where everyone seems to interact more with their phones than real faces.

The Future Of The World Is African

The centre of gravity of global Christianity has shifted dramatically away from Europe and North America. I am privileged I know to be here and learn and breathe in this faith atmosphere. God is raising voices from Africa, Asia, Latin America (where I’ll soon be ministering too for Living On The Edge God willing) that the whole Church needs to hear.

Michael Orokpo is one of them and I want to be humble enough to recognise and receive what God is doing, honour it, learn from it and become friends with people I meet before I know how “important” they may or may not be in the way people decide that.

Open The Tent

So that’s one of my first lessons and reminders from Nigeria and it’s not just for welcome teams at church:

Make people feel at home.

Open the door, pull out a chair at the table, give them the best you have. Honour them. Listen to them to learn from them – there’s nobody more interesting than someone who’s interested in you!

Open the tent.

Because sometimes the person you thought you were welcoming carries something from God that you desperately needed.