Better than good greetings, in Jesus’ most colourful name!
I have no doubt that the SUPERNATURAL is answering to you accordingly & favourably?
It’ll be a permanent testimony, in Jesus’ most colourful name!
We come today to the concluding part of that crucial subject, The Essence Of The New Testament Church!
By the helps of the Holy Spirit, in the two earlier parts, we were able to establish from the truth of God’s Word that the Church of Jesus, the Body of Christ, is our heavenly Father’s Wisdom to POWERFULLY & FORCEFULLY RECONCILE MAN TO HIM in his original state, as Adam was in the garden of Eden, in splendour & glory, before the fall.
It was also established that the WORD OF GOD is the major active ingredient in the accomplishment of this task because the Word is the main food for the recreated spirit of man (to grow steadily & fruitfully) who the Holy Spirit relates with directly, in order to direct the soul.
The Word of God is also the main sustainer & cleansing agent for the soul of man, which is the seat of intelligence and emotions, in order to respond to the command of the spiritman & to regulate the body .
With these basis, it becomes imperative for man to accept responsibility in order to fully maximise & optimise his potentials for a most fruitful & accomplished destiny & purpose!
The beloved Rev Hagin(Snr), who has since gone to be with the Lord Jesus, told me a story in one of his books – The Triumphant Church, Pages 296-203 – about an encounter he had with the Lord in a vision, sometime in 1952.
He said that Jesus was speaking with him & suddenly, a demon came in between them with a cloud of darkness & distracting sound.
According to the servant of the Lord, our Lord Jesus was still speaking to Him but because of that demonic interference, he couldn’t hear what the Lord was saying, & he was wondering if the Lord didn’t know that he couldn’t hear Him.
After a while, he said he commanded the evil spirit to leave in the name of the Lord Jesus, & it did.
After that, he said he asked our Lord Jesus why he didn’t do anything about the situation, & to his amazement, our Lord Jesus, according to him, told him that He couldn’t have done anything…
He further said that the Lord Jesus explained to him that the Father & He, the Lord Jesus, have done all that is needed to be done for man with regards to power to handle the devil & his powers of darkness…
Beloved, that’s just an example of accepting responsibility.
Many a times in the Body of Christ, we want to do what the Holy Spirit is to do while we want the Holy Spirit to do what we should do or we don’t even want to do anything at all but just to be spoonfed & that’s why powers of darkness & their agents take advantage of such Christians & feed them with chaff!
Things won’t work that way & that’s why many children of God are still suffering but when we consistently take grace that’s been made available, then we won’t suffer again & we won’t be disgraced any longer!
Titus 2.11(Amplified version):
“For the grace of God (His unmerited favor and blessing) has come forward (appeared) for the deliverance from sin and the eternal salvation(divine helps) for all mankind”.
Titus 2.12-14(New Living Translation):
[12]”And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God”,
Titus 2.12(Weymouth’s New Testament translation):
“training us to renounce ungodliness and all the pleasures of this world, and to live sober, upright, and pious lives at the present time”,
Titus 2.12(KJV):
[12]”Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world”;
[13](NLT)“while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed”.
[14](NLT)“He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds”.
God’s grace TEACHES, TRAINS & INSTRUCTS us about godliness(God’s Lifestyle) so that we can apply ourselves to those teachings & adapt to His Nature, thereby excelling in life inspite of the devil!
Hebrews 12.28 is a command, not an encouragement, KJV:
[28]“Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear“:
This is simply saying that if you truly believe in God, His Christ & His Kingdom, then DEPEND ON HIM ALONE & HIS WAYS THAT JESUS CHRIST CAME TO SHOW US & WALK & LIVE THEREIN!
Apostle Paul helped our understanding with regards to grace, in 1 Corinthians 15.10(Wycliffe New Testament):
“But by the grace of God I am that thing that I am; and his grace was not void in me [and his grace was not void, or idle, in me]. For I travailed more plenteously than all they [But I travailed more plenteously than all they]; but not I, but the grace of God with me”.
One of the major blessings of grace is that, it makes obedience to God’s, Jesus’ & Holy Ghost’s commands very easy for us to obey & gladly, also, thereby pleasing our God!
The Holy Spirit testified of God’s grace on the Berean Church that made them more honourable than the Thessalonian Church – Acts 17.11-12(New Living Translation):
[11]”And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth”.
[12]“As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men“.
Acts 17.11-12(NIV):
“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true”.
12“Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men“.
Beloved, did you read that, they searched & examined the Scriptures day by day, everyday, to know the truthfulness of what they were told, so that they can apply it & adapt to Jesus!
That is responsibility!
It is true as it has been said, that responsibility is the price for greatness!
Our Lord Jesus asked us to LABOUR FOR THE MEAT THAT DOESN’T PERISH, THE BREAD OF LIFE!
John 6.27,29,32-33,35(KJV):
[27]”Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed”.
[29]”Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent”.
[32]”Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven”.
[33]“For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world“.
[35]“And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst“.
Jesus is here saying that in whatever work I give you, as long as you’re born again in His name, make sure you keep checking on me(because JESUS IS GOD’S WORD PERSONIFIED – Revelation 19.13; John 1.1-5,12,14).
He’s saying, that way, as long as His children & servants keep checking on Him in His Word & doctrine, accepting responsibility, we’ll keep triumphing in life, the devil & the past not withstanding!
2 Timothy 2.15(Amplified version):
“Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth”.
Remember sir, remember ma, that you & I in His Body, are His instruments of His wisdom to put in check the powers of darkness – Ephesians 3.10 (Amplified version):
“[The purpose is] that through the church the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere”.
May you surrender to the Lord & take grace to reign in life as you’re ordained in Jesus before the world began, in Jesus’ most colourful name!
PEACE!
JESUS IS LORD!