By Chijioke Nwauche
(Sunday, November 29th, 2009)
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QUOTABLE QUOTES
We need to recall some of the basic teachings we have received from the Lord to help kindle the love of God in our hearts. Our love is growing cold. God forbid that sudden destruction shall come upon us. We do not want to be taken unawares. Some of us have not even fully understood the vision, how much more to run with it.
The time of following for the sake of following is over; we must make effort to know why we are here and where we are going to. Each man must strive to buy oil for himself. It is injury time, and we must not miss this opportunity God is giving us to buy enough oil. We have to be well prepared to face that which is going to come upon the world. The things we have heard must not slip from us. Darkness is coming brethren, and it is only those who have sufficient light that will overcome the darkness. As I will share some thoughts with us in this session, I pray it will help make the vision clearer.
An apostolic word is a specific word that is sent from God to a specific people e.g. God sent Jonah to Nineveh (a specific People) to give them a specific word. We received an apostolic word through our late bro Cecil Ducille several years ago. We were told that THERE ARE THREE SPIRITS THAT THE NIGERIAN CHRISTIANS MUST OVERCOME: the spirit of pride, the spirit of divisions. (strife and contention), and the spirit that supervises blood covenants through the customs and traditions of the people. We bear witness that what he said is true. He taught us extensively about the tabernacle. The word was meant to address these strong holds that we find are peculiar to us.
1) THE OF SPIRIT OF PRIDE
The typical Nigerian has a unique nature of pride. Nigerians always want to be on top. Nobody wants to submit to the other and you find that nature struggling to manifest in all our affairs, dealings, and relationships. Every Nigerian born Christian should know that one of the major issues (it is not that there are no other issues) you must deal with is pride. You must resist it vehemently. This spirit of pride stems partly from the intellectual spirit that we have. Have you not noticed how we struggle to get one degree after the other? Look amongst us, how many people here have a PhD degree? This is in sharp contrast to a fellowship gathering in places likeEthiopia; where you may get just one or two people who have PhD’s. What do you think is responsible? It is the “I want to be on top attitude”. BRETHREN THE AVERAGE NIGERIAN IS PROUD. It is a natural thing with us and we must realise it is a major problem in the Church.
2) THE SPIRIT OF DIVISIONS, STRIFE AND CONTENTION (the aggressive, bitter and contentious nature). We have over 350 language groups inNigeria, in such a small expense of land. It is a manifestation of the spirit and nature of divisions! Take churches for another example. We counted over 25 churches the other day along airport road alone. This attitude of “I must get my own” Brethren, is a manifestation of the spirit of divisions. If it is truly by church, with churches springing up almost on every corner, then by now this nation would have been over taken by righteousness. THE SPIRIT OF DIVISION IS AT WORK. THE NIGERIAN MAN HAS A NATURAL TENDENCY TO BE CONTENTIOUS. It is a nature we have and this nature reflects in all our affairs. GOD IS SAYING THAT THE NIGERIAN CHRISTIAN MUST OVERCOME THIS AGGRESSIVE, CONTENTIOUS NATURE IN ALL ITS RAMIFICATIONS i.e. divorce, quarrels, hatred, bitterness, backbiting etc.
The solution: God brought us the word: “there is only one church”. We know that in Christ there is no place for divisions, no place for schisms. No place for Ibo, Yoruba or Bayelsa church. We must understand the vision of that body. We have also learnt that there is no place for laity and clergy or ministering and non – ministering brethren or Pastor and members. All of these terms, stems from divisions. The message of the gospel is we all are brethren with only one shepherd over us and that is Jesus. For this word to profit us, we must hold fast to it and practice it. We must walk as one, then we will receive the blessings and strength that goes with obedience.
3) THE MATTER OF BLOOD COVENANTS AND RULING SPIRIT DANIEL 9: 10
Every aspect of life has been taken over by demonic spirits. The way men dress, the way they relate to one another, bury their dead, marry, organise their homes etc are all run by principles that are not according to the will of GOD. Every aspect has been taken over by these spirits .The far reaching effects of these spirits that desire to rule us was explained in the book of Daniel. Da 2:40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. Da 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
The solution to this is simply to break away from the rule of these spirits. When you refuse to submit to their rule, you are free. Brethren let us break away from submitting to their customs, and traditions in our day to day affairs. Our deliverance lies in overcoming these spirits, resisting their influence upon us and rather submitting to the ways of God. Note verse 25 of Daniel chapter 7. The bible says that a time will come when these spirits will wear out the saints. It means that a time will come when the church itself will be overtaken by darkness. This is why you find so much backsliding in your life, and the spirit is prevailing over us because we are in the flesh.
When you walk in the flesh, you are walking in the Devil’s territory and, he will overcome you. We find ourselves having a mind set that the Lord has not given us. We believe we are sustained by our salaries, the mind set we have is “I am paid #5000 so that is what I live by”. Brethren our economy is not tied to the economy of the worldly systems of men (Babylon) .Our economy is tied to God. Hallelujah.
A CALL FOR REPENTANCE
“Come out of her my people”. That is the call for the hour. We pray our backslidings will be healed. Have you come out of the physicalBabylon? Have you come out of religiousBabylon, then how about economic and much greater still spiritualBabylon? We need to truly turn to God with a heart of repentance. We have allowed these things the Lord has brought to us, slide from us. Let us allow God to search and try our ways so that we may return again to the Lord. Let us cry to God to remove darkness and frivolities from our meetings. We need to seek the Lord with broken and contrite hearts. Let us pray for the revival of the prophetic ministry in our midst. A prophetic ministry is that which comes with a specific word of deliverance for a people: a word that will cause the people to know what to do to rise above the sin in their lives. The most important thing to the Lord is to get His Body (bride) ready. The Spirit of prophecy has to do with the coming forth of the Body of Christ and that bride being joined to Christ, before that Rev19:10 says that the testimony of Jesus Christ is the Spirit of prophecy. To hear prophecies of who is going to win one contract or the other is not prophecy at all.
When a people are also desirous of this kind of vision, their fellowship is bound to have depth because they are having the same desire as the Lord. That is the vision that strengthens a man and the man begins to strive to enter the kingdom. And as the desire increases in his heart, God begins to pour out more and more ministry in the midst of the brethren, and then the prophetic word starts coming. It is the prophetic word that has ability to change a man because the man hears and makes up his mind to change from his evil ways.
1Co 6:13 Meats for the belly and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.
The burden of God’s material blessings to you should not worry you now, for while they (Israelites) were eating the meat, the Lord multiplied leanness to their soul. Remember thekingdomofGodis not in meat and drink but in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
What I see amongst us is a people that have fullness of bread. WE MUST REPENT AND TURN AGAIN TO THE LORD. WE MUST COME TO THE LORD AND ASK HIM TO GIVE US A HUNGER AGAIN FOR HIS WORD, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HIS FULLNESS. WE HAVE LOST MUCH OF OUR CONSECRATION. BRETHREN, WE MUST GO BACK, WE MUST DRAW NIGH TO GOD THAT HE MAY HAVE MERCY AND DRAW NIGH TO US AGAIN. WE ARE IN DANGER OF OUR WELL BEING SHUT UP BY THE ABUNDANCE OF GOODS THE LORD HAS BLESSED US WITH.
THE FULLNESS OF GOD
1Co 14:26 How is it then, brethren? When ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
The essence of the above scripture is not that every man must share when we gather together; the main thrust of this scripture is that every man has something to offer to the kingdomof God. Every child of God is a priest of God. What are the things that go with being a priest? The implication to us is that priesthood goes with CONSECRATION. Instructions were to be followed to the letter. In the time of Aaron, specific instructions were given, down even to the matter of dressing.
Lev. 8 tells us that the man had to be brought to the temple. He had to wash with water, blood put on the right ear, thumb and toe, oil was applied next and he had to remain 7 days in the temple to be consecrated. It was only after that he could function as a priest. Now the priesthood of Aaron and the priesthood of Christ which do we think demands more consecration? The priesthood of Christ of course. If God is saying you are a priest of Christ, then your consecration is of a much more serious priesthood. It is a priesthood of the Spirit. We must strive to enter; we can not just stroll around, claiming to be a priest
THE NEW COVENANT
Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: v32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: v33 but this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; after those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. v34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Also read Hebrews chapters 5 to 10 to understand more about the new covenant. For the purpose of our study we will concentrate on expatiating the new covenant. Let’s look at v 33; this verse is speaking to us of the relationship God desires with His people. In the old covenant, the most important element was the physical temple. The temple was the centre of the old covenant, and it was a temple made with hands. All offerings were brought physically to the temple before they could be offered. Even Jesus had to go up to the temple. EXODUS 25 to 40 gives a very detailed explanation of the tabernacle we ought to study. What was the purpose of this tabernacle? The purpose was to cause the Israelites to go through the various experiences in the tabernacle to better understand how to worship God and for us, we are the tabernacle and in studying the physical tabernacle, we understand better what experiences we are supposed to go through in God to come to fullness.
The very first expression of the old covenant was the tabernacle of Moses. It is the most foundational, it was a movable temple. There were several other temples: the tabernacle of David, thetempleofSolomon. Even as the physical temple today was destroyed many centuries ago, it is because this temple has been replaced by man (John 2:19-21) who since the coming of Jesus Christ is being made the temple where God desires to inhabit. When we understand the essence of the old temple and the way it functions then we will understand how you are supposed to function in the body of Christ. God has taken away the old that He may bring in the new, nevertheless you have to understand the old if you are to know the meaning of the new.
Heb 8:6 But now hath he (Jesus) obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises v7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. v8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Heb 8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
The most important element in the new covenant is the soul of man, (the law is inscribed in the heart) and the different hearts together make up the heavenly sanctuary (body of Christ), it is a temple made without hands. YOU ARE THETEMPLE, YOU ARE THEDWELLING PLACEOF GOD.
In the old covenant, only Aaron and his descendants were permitted to be priests. It was a priesthood based on the loins and physical lineage, but not so in the new covenant HALLELUJAH. The priesthood of the New Testament is based on faith in the finished work of Christ and being a son of God. Whoever you are, wherever you were coming from, you were accepted. Heb 5:8 Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered; v9 And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him;
It is an unchanging and everlasting priesthood. PRAISE GOD! Unlike the old priesthood which was established by a carnal law, this priesthood was established by an oath made by God Himself. Heb 7:20 And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest: v21 (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. It is a priesthood of the Spirit. There is enough power in this priesthood to break every demonic bondage or ancestral stronghold and it’s temple is a heavenly sanctuary, a habitation of God in the Spirit.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOUR SOUL TO BE A HABITATION OF GOD IN THE SPIRIT
Every man (soul) has the ability to harbour spirits because, it is a realm of heaven, i.e. the nature of your mind or the emotions is such that it can give life, sustain or simply put, it can be the house or dwelling place of spirits. If it is anger, it can pass from generation to generation. The soul of a man is a realm of heaven and that is why spirits can dwell in you. The good news is that if your soul can harbour spirits, it means it has equal capacity to house God’s Spirit.
It means that it is possible to have the rule of heaven in your soul (this is what the kingdom of heaven refers to). On the contrary, the rule of Satan and his principalities over a man’s heart is thekingdomofDarkness. This is what brings forth carnal and wicked works in the mind, emotions and desires of men. So when we hear ‘repent for the kingdom of heaven’ is at hand, what it means is that, if you allow it, your mind can be the dwelling place of God. If we want to overcome Satan’s control then we must not yield our members (our emotions, mind, desires etc) to darkness, for it will be an open door for the devil to operate through you. We must learn to guard our hearts with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life. The bible says he that has no rule over his own spirit is like a city with out walls. He that is slow to anger, or lust or, lie etc is better than the mighty. God wants us to be His habitation i.e. God wants us to house him instead of housing the devil; God wants to express himself in us. We are the dwelling place of God. We are God’s tabernacle. God expects every one of us to receive Him for ourselves. You must have the revelation of Jesus Christ for yourself. No man can stand for you. The highlight is that God will come and dwell in you. The implication is that all darkness must flee, because darkness and light can not dwell together. Darkness must go if light is to take over. We need to revisit the things we have heard hitherto if we are to go back to GOD to heal our backslidings.