Currently a deep interest in the reality and in the work of G.o.d on earth through the Holy Spirit has become obvious in various churches and fellowships. In the book of Acts alone almost sixty times the Spirit of G.o.d, the Holy Spirit was mentioned. In that same book early disciples numbering more than 120 were instructed by our Lord Jesus Christ to wait for the Holy Spirit and his power. It was only then they could represent Him as they would become spirit-energized witness for Christ. Indeed, the prophecy of Joel had come to fulfillment.Joel 2:28
28 And it shall come to pa.s.s afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
Before the Lord Jesus was taken up; and a cloud received him out of the sight of the disciples they asked him a question.
Act 1:6
6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
The disciples up till then did not know what they would live for or what next was the divine programme of G.o.d. They were anxious for the end of the age but the Lord directed them to what was the priority or purpose of G.o.d for his children on earth.
Act 1:7-8
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Apostle Paul once asked the Ephesus"s Christians "Have you received the Holy Ghost since ye believed"? And they said unto Him, we have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost" (Acts 19:1-3). That was the honest answer of twelve men"s fellowship of the born-again Baptist at Ephesus almost twenty three (23) years after Pentecost. Later, Paul wrote to them in this manner
Ephesians 5:15-18
15 See then that ye walk circ.u.mspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
The implication of that book of Ephesians is that not being full of the Spirit is an indication of Spiritual foolishness. Today, almost two thousand years after Pentecost, a great number of believers are yet to know him or walk with the Holy Spirit in communion. Refusing to know him is refusing to know Jesus and G.o.d the Father.
A king from one of the towns in our land came to me one early morning. He is born-again. They gave him my name that I should pray for him as he wanted to do a major operation in one of his eyes. That morning he brought his wife in company of his High chief. The wife of the chief was also there keeping company with their king. Before I prayed for his healing, I just decided to stir up his faith as I encouraged him from various healing scripture.
Romans 10:17
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17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of G.o.d.
In the process of my sharing on healing, the Spirit of the Lord enveloped the place and the wife of the chief who is the mother of one of my pastors was knocked down by the power of G.o.d. She was not only filled with the Holy Spirit, but she began to pray in other tongues and to prophesy. They were shocked! I stopped my teaching to see someone; who is old enough to be my mother drunk in the Spirit. She prophesied that the king was healed. I should have enough common-sense not to pray for the king but to cooperate with the Holy Spirit by thanking G.o.d for the healing. Why did G.o.d pick on a Methodist woman who was not seeking for the baptism of the Holy Spirit? I don"t know, but mine is not to resist the Holy Spirit. This type of thing happens many times with gifts of words of wisdom for me coming out from the sick as I obeyed the Lord in my calling.
The purpose of G.o.d for healing is as important as getting men filled with the Holy Spirit. If you will believe this, the greatest priority of Jesus is to get men filled with the Holy Spirit, once the spirit has brought them to conviction.
Let me share with you wisdom of G.o.d. Don"t pray for the sick and leave them; be sure you also see that they are filled or baptized in the Holy Spirit. There is a quickening of the body that the Holy Spirit will do in the life of a man who is just set free. That was the reason why Peter and John came to Samaria after Philip had conducted a great healing crusade. I believe that those who are used in the healing of the sick with a healing anointing upon them will receive the gift of special faith if they ask the Lord. That is my opinion and not a doctrine.
Act. 8:6-7
6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.
See the coming of Peter and John.
Act 8:14-15
14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of G.o.d, they sent unto them Peter and John:
15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
Before the Lord was taken up into heaven, he said
Mark 16:17
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
While the sun is the sign of the day, the moon is the sign of the night. Jesus left the world with a sign of his presence and the out-working of his power so men will discover the reality of the Holy Spirit.
I Corinthians 14:21-22
21 In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.
22 Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.
In another place Paul said similar things, calling signs the witness of G.o.d. G.o.d wants to have witnesses on earth even in our days
Hebrews 2:4
4 G.o.d also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?
Why does G.o.d take interest in speaking through signs? What is his purpose? He speaks this way so men will not be able to escape his divine arrest. Men will be inexcusable.
Hebrews 2:3
3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
What then is the purpose of the divine arrest? He does this so that the world will be able to arrest his divine purpose. He is mindful of you. G.o.d owns the earth and has an agenda for this planet earth. He does not and will not give up on man until the lease of Adam ends
Psalm 8:3-4
3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
A good example of a divine arrest is found in Saul of Tarsus who in unbelief and ignorance persecuted and wasted the church.
Act 9:1-2
And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
That was an intelligent, thoughtful man without Christ going the way of the devil because the G.o.d of this world had blinded his eyes. A blind man does not know where he is going and spiritual blindness is more dangerous than the physical blindness.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the G.o.d of this world hath blinded the mind
In his journey coming near Damascus, the Lord of glory appeared to him in the splendor of his majesty. "And he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul why persecuted thou me"
G.o.d"s method of deliverance are always simple, looking foolish to man"s reason. Saul fell in the midst of the cloud of glory. When natural comes against the supernatural, the natural must give way.
Act. 9:5-6
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the p.r.i.c.ks.
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
That was the turning point for Saul the persecutor. His question "what wilt thou have me to do"? Is in summary asking the Lord for the purpose of the divine arrest. A spiritually blinded Saul start to live in the freshness of divine purpose. Towards the end of his ministry he said
Philippians 3:12
"Not as though I had already attained either were already perfect, but I follow after, if that I may apprehend (arrest, grasp) that for which also I am apprehended (arrested) of Christ Jesus"
A supernatural hope called vision was born in Paul as he now had a purpose for living. Paul said to the King in his defense.
Acts 26:19
19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:
Was Paul talking about the vision of Jesus? That may be partly true but he was talking here about the voice behind that heavenly- granted appearance. I am not impressed today with visions without any substance. We have many of that already in spiritualist homes and synagogue of Satan.
Colossians 2:18
18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
What we need is a life-changing vision which is rooted in divine purpose.
Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11
3. To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that G.o.d maketh from the beginning to the end.
There is a power of divine purpose, because G.o.d has a design and reason for all he does. There is a connection between this and your spiritual authority in His name. When you are in his plans and you fulfil his purpose, things work so fast that you will be amazed at his power. The anointing of the Holy Spirit will stay on you as you abide in your calling. If you stay in your calling you will never lose the anointing. If you lose sight of your calling and get distracted, after sometime, the ministry of the Holy Spirit (I am not talking of his presence) will not be there to accomplish G.o.d"s plan in your life. May G.o.d use you to fulfil his purpose on earth as you effectively use the wonderful Name of Jesus. Being in the centre of G.o.d"s purpose for your life is safetest place there is.
Acts 26:16-18
16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto G.o.d, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
The above words from Jesus defined the limit of his ministry. For Paul, working outside of it would amount to walking in darkness. G.o.d will not defend his Name when you are in darkness.
In three instances, church leaders had sent to me that G.o.d instructed them to tell me to take over their churches. I will be guilty of presumption to think that because it is G.o.d"s work, how will I conduct it does not matter to him. G.o.d is a G.o.d of details and you should never a.s.sume on him. You must know what G.o.d is saying as well as what he is not saying. We prayed at home and he told us
"Reject the man and his gifts. I have not sent them. When the time comes I will tell you. Do not build on another man"s foundation."
Those words settled if for the first offer and for others I did not go to ask G.o.d because I would be behaving like Balaam if I did. When you still ask G.o.d for a thing especially what he has revealed to you in his word, you are opening yourself to seducing spirits. I will give you an example. The Bible says that it is the will of G.o.d to heal you. Scriptures are many on this. If you go to G.o.d making a demand on him to personally talk to you if it is his will to heal you, you will be opening yourself to a contrary voice. There are many voices in the spirit realm
One reason you need to locate G.o.d"s blue print for your life and walk with G.o.d progressively (you will not know every details at a time). Is so that the cost of running your life will be cheap. Some years ago I was planning to travel to United State on Sabbatical leave for certain period of time. I brought this to G.o.d. By the time the university where I was working approved my leave, you know what the Lord said? He gave me a scripture which before then I had never read
Proverbs 27: 23-27
23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.
24 For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation?
25 The hay appeareth, and the tender gra.s.s sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered.
26 The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field.
27 And thou shalt have goats" milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens.
I told him I heard him. I withdrew my service from the system. Within three (3) months I was out of lecturing to serve G.o.d according to his word. It is only a foolish man that will despise a higher calling to take an inferior calling. The calling in Christ Jesus is the highest calling in the world. That is why the Name of Jesus is working for me without struggling. I am in the best of G.o.d for my life.
Supposing I left for the U.S.A when G.o.d had spoken, then I would today be eating the food of disobedience and rebellion. That is why heaven is closed to some people. The cost of running their lives has become expensive. For Such people the preaching on consistency is not suitable for them. The only thing that will salvage them is "change"
Jeremiah 7:22-25
22 For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
23 But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your G.o.d, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.
24 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
25 Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them: