By Chijioke Nwauche 

(Sunday July 13th, 2008)

[For a printable version click here.]

Deut. 8 vs 3 “And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live” (KJV).

PREAMBLE

We are looking at feeding on Christ as part of the foundations of walking in the Spirit. we must learn to walk in the Spirit in order to thwart the onslaught of wickedness that is about to overtake man’s soul. We need to rise up in the Spirit into the place of safety. In this series, we have been looking at how we can come to the place of safety in the Spirit.

The 1st man Adam came and brought forth his seed. In this season of harvest it is time for the 2nd Adam to also bring forth his seed. As we bore the image of the 1st Adam, so must we bear the image of the second Adam. 1 Corinthians 15 vs 45 – 49 “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and after ward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly” (KJV).

The purpose of God is that you become like Jesus Christ, bearing his image (i.e. His character, doing the things he did, walking the way he walked in complete righteousness without sin).

The tribulation that is eminent is intended to wake us up to realize this purpose. We must not wait for the tribulation to force us to walk in the Spirit. let us rise up now and get into the place of safety (walking in the Spirit) before the door is shut. Before the time of midnight.

What is midnight?

The bible often refers to the “time of midnight”. In the parable of the 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins a cry was made at midnight Matthew 25 vs 6 “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold the bridegroom cometh: go ye out to meet him”. Is midnight a time on the face of the clock or is it a nature (behaviour) that men will exhibit at a particular period? Midnight is the period of time when men will exhibit a nature that is contrary to the nature of God. It is a time when the manifestation of the nature of darkness in the soul of man will be at its peak.

FEEDING ON CHRIST

Today we address the principle of feeding on Christ (getting light); as we feed on Christ (the word). The  natural state of darkness within our soul begins to change and we become full of light. What is this light? The light is Jesus Christ. John 1 vs 9 “That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world”.  2 Corinthians 2 vs 3, 4 “But if the gospel is hid, it is hid to them that are lost; in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, least the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God should shine unto them”.

A man in darkness (an unbeliever) will naturally partake in dark activities (sins) and a man in light (born again believer) will be inclined to walk in light.

Without the soul getting the light that is found it will drift away into more and more dark activities (sin). The more a man turns from God the more his nature becomes dark. The more he turns to God, the more the light in him increase. Darkness or light are not static. They increase automatically and the nature of man progresses along these lines. As the light increases, darkness decreases and vice versa. The implication for us is this: if we have some light, then it is necessary that the light in us increases (grows) daily so that we can attain unto the highest point there is to attain; lest the increasing darkness overtakes the light and puts it out. Resist the darkness that overwhelms you. We must not rest on our oars. The flesh desires rest, ease, comfort, pleasure etc. There is a set time. After which the door will be shut. The Spirit of God will not always strive with man. Turn from darkness and its works (sin, hatred, etc.) that you may truly be sons of light doing the works that are of children of light (showing love, peace, joy, longsuffering, temperance, faith in God etc.)

May God help us to see that the time is gone far. Seek the light of Christ continually before the door of opportunity for getting light is shut.

WHAT DO WE DO TO WALK IN THE SPIRIT? (WALK IN LIGHT) CONTINUALLY

Let us examine some scripture to get our answers.

Ephesians 1 vs 15 – 23 (Prayer of Paul).

Paul in his prayer request was asking the Lord to bless the saints with certain attributes (gifts) which was instrumental in ensuring that the light of God increased in their souls, so that they could walk in the Spirit fully. We should not fail to pray this prayer for ourselves. There are certain things you can only see, if the Spirit of God gives you enlightenment (sense of understanding). There are some things you just cannot do without, if you are to walk effectively in the Spirit. One of them is:

Obtaining Spiritual Wisdom (discernment and understanding)

Vs 17 Asking God, the glorious father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding so that you might grow in the knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to them he called (NLT).

The King James version puts it this way vs 17 “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him” (KJV)

Vs 18 “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened: that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power”.

We infer from the above that without the Spirit of wisdom and revelation the heart cannot receive light (understanding) to grow in the knowledge of God. It is the spirit of revelation and knowledge that opens the door (eyes) of the heart (eyes of the understanding) for light to come in.

Our hearts must be open to receive the wisdom and understanding that God wants to give us. But we have a responsibility: you must willingly open your heart to God (i.e. turn from your ways and begin to obey God’s commandments). Revelation 3 vs 20 “Behold I stand at the door and knock, whosoever opens the door (of the heart) I will come into him and sup with him and he with me”. As you do this; God begins to give you light; as the light in you increases you become changed according to the degree of light in you. The point is: without the spirit of wisdom and revelation you cannot appreciate and understand the things of God, you cannot progress in God as you should

BENEFITS OF RECEIVING THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND REVELATION

a) Understanding the hope of his calling (vs 17):

Why am I a Christian? Why did God choose me to be born again? Is it to eat, drink and be merry? We need to know the hope of our calling. If we know the hope of our calling we will know what we ought to be doing. Take the Prince of Wales for example, can you find him walking casually into the local market to buy food? Impossible. He knows the hope of his calling; he will therefore not waste his time in the local market. He knows he will be king of England someday; therefore he will occupy himself with things and matters that will prepare him for his reign as king; so it should be with you. If you know the hope of your calling there are certain things you will not do, there are certain jobs, activities etc. you will not get involved in because you know that they will defile, distract or ensnare you. You will not follow any and any counsel, doctrine or way. You will be selective to do that which will provoke you onto good works.

b) Understanding the riches of his glory of his inheritance in the saints (vs 18):

What are the things you are to inherit or receive of the Father? What are the things that God gives you freely because you are a saint? Because there is darkness in our hearts, because we are far away, we do not fully understand the things that belong to our Father. If the Spirit of wisdom opens our eyes to know what is ours, we will not desire the things that are not of God. Nothing will be able to entice or tempt us away from God because we know the riches that are ours. Will a man who understands what gold is, leave the gold and choose bronze (ordinary metal); surely he will go for gold, except he does not understand. David had the Spirit of wisdom and understanding that is why he was able to desire and pray :That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty (glory) of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple” Psalm 27 vs 4, 5. May this also be our utmost desire.

c) Eyes of your understanding being enlightened:

When your eyes are open, you understand the things of the Lord better.

d) What is the exceeding greatness of his power:

There is no other name that is greater than the name of Jesus Christ. The name of Jesus is exceeding greater than every occultic, militant, juju or human power. The scripture says clearly that this power is working on your behalf. If you know this, will fear overcome you? The devil will not be able to threaten you with his wiles, for if we fully understand the greatness of this power that is available to us, we will confidently rebuke him.

May God give us this understanding. May the Spirit of wisdom and revelation increase in us daily.

The account of John’s vision in Rev. 4 vs 4 also gives us some understanding about the principles of how the word (light) of God affects or gains entrance into the soul. It gives a clear picture of what level our hearts are expected to be.

A soul (mind, will, emotions, desires) that is fully responsive to God is one who has opened up all the eyes of his understanding to God. When Jesus joined the two disciples after his resurrection, they did not recognize him, the bible records that as they prayed and broke bread with him (symbolic of feeding on Christ) they understood that Jesus Christ was the one before them. A man who is full of eyes is a man that is awake and fully sensitive to the things of God.

May God give us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, may the eyes of our understanding be enlightened that we may begin to see him as he truly is.

IMPORTANT POINTS TO NOTE (REV.  21)

There are principles we can learn from the description of the city of God in the book of Revelation.

21 Vs 10 “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me to a great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even a jasper stone, clear as crystal”. You were born to be the dwelling place of God. You and I filled with glory, make up the city of God. Who says you cannot completely cast off the works of darkness in your life. Be rest assured that as the eyes of your understanding open, the light (word) of God comes in and you become changed from glory to glory.

Rev. 21 vs 12 – 27 gives us another picture; it describes the soul of a man as being full of gates. Each part of the soul (mind, will, desires, emotions) has gates (openings/doors). It is through the gates or opening that light or darkness seeps in and out. We must shut these gates (entrances) against the devil. Let the word of God be the sentry (guard) at each gate. E.g. when the devil wants to tempt you to break a fast, he will bring sweet smelling food your way, if the entrance to the soul (the opening of smell) is unguarded you will succumb and break your fast; but if is guarded by the knowledge that it is necessary to fast, you receive strength to resist. You get the victory when you acquire the ability to lock the door and refuse to open it up to the devil.

There is ability in God for your to lock the door against the devil. David wrote in one of his Psalms “We have a strong city …, salvation has God appointed for bulwarks. Have confidence brethren. Even Jacob (supplanter) was changed to Israel (Prince with God)

Proverbs 8 vs 1 – 14 This gives us a summary of the thoughts we have outlined today.

• The passage describes a busy path where there is a lot of traffic (the mind, the place where thoughts come in and out).
• The city has a gate keeper (wisdom) at the entry of the city, (at the coming in at the doors).
• The simple (foolish) are encouraged to get wisdom – by understanding and listening to God’s instruction.
• It warns of the danger of rejecting wisdom – it leads to spiritual and physical death.
• It describes the blessedness of the man that listens to wisdom – He finds life and favour with God.

CONCLUSION

Prov. 4 vs 8 “Wisdom is the principle thing; therefore get wisdom: And in all thy getting, get understanding”.

A man cannot walk in the Spirit except he has wisdom. Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God. This is the basis (foundation) of walking in the Spirit and being able to move up in God.

IT PAYS TO REMEMBER…

BE BOLD IN CHRIST

The account of the doggedness (showing determination, not giving up easily) of the disciples in Acts 21 from verse 15 should encourage us to be steadfast in our faith. In this book we see how God walks with the disciples, we see the grace of God upon their lives, we see their boldness, confidence, the depth of their knowledge of God and their faith. May we be strengthened as we look to these brethren of old.

In this book Paul had arrived Jerusalem in the company of some brethren who were not Jews. It was a time when the Christians were making a transition from their old traditions (the pattern and ordinance of the laws of Moses) into the full walk in grace found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Most had not yet come to the full understanding that their traditions were to be put aside. Paul on the other hand had gotten this revelation and was beginning to preach it. The brethren brought counsel to Paul to join some Jewish brethren into the temple who were going to fulfill some traditional rites: Their reasoning was that by so doing, Paul would prove that he was indeed a keeper of the law of Moses and not a preacher of heresies, as it had been rumoured amongst them (Acts. 21 vs 15 – 26).

The plan backfired, for when he went into the temple they assumed he had brought Greeks who were with him earlier in the day, into their temple to pollute it (it was against the Jewish laws to bring foreigners into the temple), and they were determined to kill Paul. God turned the situation around and at the end of the day, opportunity was granted Paul to preach unto the same people that had gathered to kill him. How wonderful, that we serve a God who is able to manipulate situations to open doors of opportunities, for us to do His will. Acts 21 vs 27 – 40.

PAUL’S DELIVERANCE

God used Paul’s multilingual skills to attract the attention of the chief captain who then gave him permission to preach to the mob that had gathered. May we be a people who do not waste the opportunities the Lord presents to us to be skillful. The skills we acquire can be effectively used by God for His purposes.

The chief captain had previously heard that Paul was an outlaw, a leader of what we could call today “a group of militants”. Paul was able to refute the allegations. Many a time, this is how it is with us. We find that the devil spreads a lot of false rumours about us giving people wrong opinions of us. You may be accused of being in a cult or walking disorderly. May these things not move us. Stand firm the Lord is able to bring you into favour with men.

Even when he was brought before the Jewish council (made of the high priests and learned Jewish counsellors), God gave Paul perception and he made a defense appealing to those amongst them that were Pharisees; stating that he was called in question because of his beliefs as a Pharisee. Paul was again delivered, when disagreement rose between the Pharisees and Sadducees (Acts 23 vs 1 – 11).

Further deliverance came when the secret oath some Jews had taken to murder Paul was revealed to the chief captain and the captain had no choice but to send him under protection of Roman soldiers to Rome. There he had further opportunity to testify of the Lord Jesus Christ and the resurrection to men in high places like Governor Felix, Governor Pontius Festus and the great King Agrippa (Acts 23, 26).

Points to note

i) Paul was taken of the Jews and should have been killed of them but rather than get killed an army was mobilized to rescue him from the mob. The very situation of tribulation was the very situation which God turned round to enable him preach the very gospel that they were trying to stop.

ii) At times we feel intimated to stand and say we don’t agree to this or that. In the face of opposition we feel afraid. Paul was not ashamed, he boldly declared “But this I confess after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my Father, believing all things which are written in the law and prophets…” Acts 24 vs 14.

May the boldness of Paul also encourage us to trust sufficiently in our God to be bold and not timid in the face of fierce opposition. We must declare this gospel even in the face or threat of death.

iii) Governor Festus knew the Jews had no case against Paul. Every time he sent for Paul to talk with him, it was an opportunity God was presenting for his (Festus) salvation. May we not waste the opportunities God presents us to grow deeper in him or to repent of besetting sins etc. Opportunities do not last for ever. There is a time frame attached. Don’t loose the moment, opportunities will not always be there. Acts 24 vs 22 – 25.

iv) Governor Felix who took over from festus also failed to release Paul. The reason: he saw it pleased the Jews, he wanted to remain in their favour. Paul in his characteristic boldness appealed that his case be brought before Augustus Caesar. He was working by the word of wisdom and knowledge, i.e. knowing what to say at a particular time, hence his appeal. It was God’s intention to bring the gospel of the kingdom to Rome, Paul in appealing to Caesar aligned himself with God’s will.

May we ask God to embolden us. The persecution that comes to us can be turned to opportunities for us to minister His word. if we buckle under fear, we will not be able to preach this gospel of the kingdom in all the earth. May we like Paul, not be disobedient to the heavenly vision, even under the threat of death.

Bro. I. Urias