KEY SCRIPTURE: Joh 17:24 KJV “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.”

We continue with our series of studies on our oneness with our lord Jesus. We understood through our identification with Christ that we are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We are in glory with our master. On earth presently, our Lord Jesus is also in every believer to express His life through us. We have looked at a number of areas of our lives where our Lord who lives in us must exert His life and authority through us. Please note, that true Christianity is all about expressing Christ through you. We have looked at expressing Christ with our very selves, towards others, and our relation to money, and now we consider how we allow Christ in us to confront Satan and his host of devils.

Satan is real and very active on this earth. To many elite ones, he tells them he does not exist. Everything that looks like him, he explains to them that it is science, psychology, or just some aliens out of this world. To others, he relates to them in person and uses them for all kinds of evil activities. To relate successfully to Satan, you must know the truth of God’s word and believe it wholeheartedly. You can never deal with Satan if you hold half-truths about any aspect of the word of God. Satan is eternally defeated by our master Jesus. Heb 2:14 KJV” Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;” Although defeated man’s probation time to live on this earth has not expired so, men are given the opportunity to prove their allegiance to God. Satan has the permission to function in this era. Satan’s means of taking humanity captive is through deception, lies, and all kinds of evil schemes.

Your greatest means to totally have the resurrected Christ in you conquer¹ Satan ìs to respond to the Lord’s first call to us into discipleship. He said in Luke 14:26;” If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.”  Men’s love for their lives, recognition, and persuasions from loved ones against certain daring stands for God, are among Satan’s greatest means of having advantage over Children of God. Do not love your life, or any family association above Christ. Confront anything the devil does with the truth, believing it and announcing the scripture to Him. Satan’s power under any condition cannot defeat anyone who approaches him this way. To be continued.

THOUGHT: TO DEFEAT SATAN, KNOW THE TRUTH AND WALK IN THE TRUTH.

FURTHER STUDIES

Eph 6:11 KJV “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”.

2Co 11:3 KJV ” But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 17:24 KJV “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.’

This study is a continuation of the previous studies. We began to consider the impact of Christ in us. We said it affects every aspect of our lives namely our very selves, others, our finances, the devil, and finally our relationship with God.

How do we relate to money when Jesus lives through us? The focus of the life of everyone dominated by Christ is to seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and all other things shall be added unto you (Matt 6:33). This implies you seek riches for the purposes of glorifying God, through expanding the kingdom of God, and not the way the world craves lustfully for money (Doing even wrong and wicked acts to obtain money). The bible describes that, as the love for money that becomes the root of all evil. Having the right perspective about money the child of God must understand it is the father’s desire that His children prosper to glorify His name with their wealth.3Jn 1:2 KJV “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth”.

In the light of all that has been said above every child of God ought to be very diligent with the work of his hands. God blesses the work of our hands. If you have no work seek one. Look out for a need and begin to meet that need. Never be idle. If no one would employ you, employ yourself. Pro 13:4 KJV “The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.”  Many children of God are not diligent with the works of their hands and so are always in want. Remember God calls on you to constantly seek the expansion of His kingdom in the hearts of men and also to bless the less privileged. Eph 4:28 KJV” Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.” God always has the needy at heart.

Trust God with your money, by faithfully paying your tithe and giving your offerings. Prov 3:9 KJV” Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” The Holy Spirit writing through Apostle Paul says 2Co 9:6 KJV” But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully”. The only condition is to do it cheerfully, and the Lord will make all grace abound towards you, that having all sufficiency in all things, you would always abound to every good work. 2 Corinth 9:8.

Many have argued back and forth about certain forms of giving like tithe, and first fruits. Please understand from the bible, as said in both the Old and New Testaments that every form of giving is sowing, and there is always a corresponding harvest to every sowing. If you sow in the right spirit you will reap the harvest. Those who faithfully do it have their witness. Gen 8:22 KJV” While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease”.

THOUGHT: BE DILIGENT WITH YOUR LABOUR, AND TRUST GOD  WITH YOUR MONEY, AND YOU WILL NOT BE IN LACK.

FURTHER STUDIES

Prov 10:4 KJV “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich”.

Gal 6:9 KJV “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Joh 17:24 KJV “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world”.

In our last study, we realised that we are at this moment seated together in Christ Jesus in the heavenly realms. Eph 2:6. In a simultaneous way the Lord is living in us the children of God. We are therefore living in two worlds, heaven and earth. Our life on earth must be a superimposition of the heavenly nature. This heavenly nature is called Christ. Col 1:27 KJV To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory”:

In light of the above revelations, how should the Christian handle his or her life on this earth plain?

The Christian has five major areas of operation

1. His relationship with himself

2. His relationship with his fellow men

3. His relationship to money and goals in life

4. His relationship to the devil and his angels or messengers

5. His relationship to God.

We will consider each area in the order stated. Firstly, your relationship with yourself. Your acknowledgment of Christ in you should first make you live at peace with yourself. Because the greater one lives in you nothing should threaten you. With Christ in you, do not allow the three negative forces in this life to control you. These forces are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. You should never fail to declare to yourself who you are, the fact that you are the light of the world and that your path is like the shining light that shines brighter and brighter unto the perfect day.

Secondly is your relationship with your fellow men.

With Christ in you, you must understand you are light to those in darkness. You have a duty to reveal the life of God to them. In this light, you must sincerely love all men. You must be humble to serve men with the word of God and in other aspects of relating to men. The Bible said Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and found favour with God and men (Luke 2:52). Favour from men is a function of usefulness to them and God’s hand working through you. Be useful to all you relate to, through service and faithfulness. Christ in you is your sufficiency, and so, never take advantage of any man. You must consciously seek the lost and win them to the Lord (Luke 19:10). Learn about ministering the power of God to those who have been bound by the devil, and set them free. One major role you have to play in the lives of men is to intercede always for the salvation, peace, and preservation of men around you, and those who are far away. Let your light shine (the Christ in you) before men, that they may glorify your Father in heaven.

We will consider the other spheres of relationship in our next study

THOUGHT:  CHRIST IN US HAS GIVEN US A VERY GREAT ADVANTAGE IN LIFE, WHICH MUST BE USED VERY WELL.

FURTHER STUDIES

Phi 4:4,5 KJV “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Joh 17:24 KJV “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world”.

During the Lord’s prayer for the disciples, He requested that the Father allow the disciples to be with Him, in His glorious state. A few questions arise out of this request. Did He refer to only the men that had been given to Him? Secondly, when are His people to be with Him? Is it in their present lifetime, or when they depart this earth? For the first question, the Lord stated in verse 20 as follows “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;” His prayer was not only for the disciples He had with Him, then, but for all those who will be receiving the gospel from them. This included all that received the gospel from the apostle and also all that have come to faith in Jesus up till now.

To the second question, were they to be with Him, to behold His glory, during their lifetime, here on earth, or when they have left this place? We may be helped by the Pauline revelation in Ephesians 2:6, which says ” And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” This scripture refers to our identification with Christ through baptism into His death, burial, resurrection, and glorification. We have been glorified together with Jesus, and we are presently seated with Him in heavenly places. This is a mystery. How could we be physically present on earth, and at the same time be spiritually seated in Christ, in glory? This is all by His grace.

What is the significance of this truth?  It shows our inseparable union with our Lord Jesus. In Heaven, He is physically present, while we are in Him. On earth, we are also physically present while He is in us. We must exercise His authority on this earth. Whatever we do, must be done with the understanding that we have a superior authority above every power or principality. We should never be intimidated by anything in this life. When the child of God cowards in fear He has brought that glorious authority of the resurrected and glorified Lord so low. Refuse to subject your life to sin, sicknesses or devils, for they are far below our status in our Lord Jesus. We do so by believing in our heart what the word says, forcefully declaring our victory and supremacy over Satan, sin, sicknesses and all forms of negativity.

THOUGHT: WE HAVE BEEN GLORIFIED WITH OUR LORD JESUS, MAKE IT REAL BY YOUR AGGRESIVE DECLARATION OF YOUR DOMINANCE ON THIS EARTH.

FURTHER STUDIES

Mat 11:12 KJV “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.”

Rom 10:10,11 KJV” For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 17:23 KJV” I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me”.

The Lord expresses another effect or impact of the unity of the church on the world. He says the unity of the church will make the world know that the Father sent Him, and secondly, that the Father loves us, just as He has loved the Son. What would bring the world to such knowledge? The degree of the manifestation of His power through the church would bring the world into knowing that, the Father loves the Christians just as He loves the Son. This means the present lack of unity among Christians is indeed bringing a very big loss to the Church. The church is missing out on the glory of our Lord Jesus, and so missing out in manifesting the power of God as the Lord intended. The church is the body of Christ, and should have just continued with what the Lord started.

We have seen pockets of manifestation of the power of God in a few men and women of God. The desire of the Lord is that the body of Christ should reveal this amazing power of God. A picture of it would be any Christian at any time should be able to operate in that mighty power of Christ. It also means when Christians gather at whatever locality, they should manifest that power and miracle grace of God. This is what would bring the world to its knees and proclaim that God loves the church just as He loved the Son.

What does this information mean to us? It means we must work very hard to live in harmony with all brethren. Christians must have a kingdom mindset, rather than a local church mindset. This also means ministers of the gospel who see the church of God as one, and also work towards having that oneness would surely experience that glory of Christ in their life and in their respective congregations. I pray the leadership of churches shall tone down on things or practices that divide the church, and seek to do things that unite the church instead. How wonderful would it be if all orthodox churches, including Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, Anglican, all Pentecostal and the Charismatic churches should gather at one of the stadia to hold a crusade or an all-night prayer meeting. Can you imagine the impact on the unbelieving world as a whole? One may ask how would the offering be shared? The offering could be given to a hospital or support a deprived community.

THOUGHT: THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH IS POSSIBLE, LET’S WORK TOWARDS IT.

FURTHER STUDIES

John 17:21 KJV “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”

John 17:11 KJV” And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 17:22 KJV” And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:”

The issue of unity is so dear to the heart of the Lord, for the unity of the church, reveals His glory. A united body can always achieve whatever goals they plan to achieve. In Genesis 11, the people who decided to build the tower of Babel., could not be stopped until their language was changed to a multiple The Lord said these people are one, and whatever they decide to do, would not be impossible to them. God’s intention, was for them to disperse all over the earth and have dominion over it., but not to dwell at a small location of the earth Gen 1:26-28. If God had destroyed the building they started,  they would surely have reconstructed it again. The best way to get them to stop building was to, change their languages, which disunited them. That was exactly what Satan sought to do against the church.

The Lord says the glory which the Father gave Him, He has given to the church, so they would be united. Our unity is a demonstration of the glory of God. Every child of God must understand these things and strive to walk in unity. Human nature because of selfishness, easily finds faults with others. All these are the works of the adversary, who is a chief accuser of the brethren. Refuse to be an accuser of the brethren and the people of God.

The Lord said, a new commandment have I given to you, that you love one another as I have loved you (John 13:34). Love for one another is the key to a united body. The main cause of disunity is self-centeredness producing strive and all kinds selfish tendences. I said in one of our earlier studies that, if a group or denomination has a doctrinal difference which is not about the basic tenets of faith , especially about the  deity of Jesus and salvation by grace through faith, then we should not have much problems  relating with each other , except the Holy Spirit instructs you not to have nothing to do with such group( because of a foundation which may have a different spirit) ( One way to check if a group is not operating by the Spirit of Christ is ,they find fault with every other denomination except themselves. They mainly do so for monetary gain.) Let us avoid speaking against other denominations because they have a different name. One’s different approach should not divide us

THOUGHT: LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER IS THE KEY TO A UNITED BODY.

FURTHER STUDIES

Phi 2:3,4 KJV” Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others”.

Eph 4:2 KJV ” With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 17:21 KJV” That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”

The Lord Jesus once again expresses His longing for the unity or oneness of the church. Our key scripture, put it this way, ” that they all may be one….” His desire is for ALL to be one. He goes further to explain the type of oneness He anticipates. He says they should be like His relationship with the Father. He said as the Son is in the Father and the Father is in the Son, so should they all be one. In the relationship between the Father and the Son, they are virtually one person. They have one mind, one emotion, and one word. We see them as two distinct personalities, yet they are one. This is the kind of oneness He anticipates for the church

The Lord prayed that the church would be so united that their language or views about various matters would be one. There would also be such a great love expressed towards one another. He added that such love and oneness would easily make the world know that He, Jesus came from the Father.

Now as much as this is a desire of the Lord, it is also an instruction or a command for the church to strive towards being one. Has this desire or prayer been achieved? I believe the early Church had that oneness Now, it seems things are different. A look at the church’s history will reveal conditions have changed from what they used to be at the early church. It is now the duty of enlightened Christians to stand in the gap and intercede for the church of God. Such intercessory prayers would bring in the hand of God, working through His angels to create conditions that would cause the church to align with the purposes of God.

THOUGHT: THE CHURCH NEEDS INTERCESSION FOR UNITY NOW THAN EVER

FURTHER STUDIES

Isaiah 59:16 KJV” And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.”

John 17:22 KJV” And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 17:20 KJV Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

Every one of us who now believes in the Lord Jesus, came to faith in Him through what has been passed on from generations past to our era. We are among all those the Lord prayed for in our key scripture. This implied everything He prayed for refers to us as well. We must take note of them and apply our lives to all His concerns. In this series of studies, we have made mention of some of the areas that His disciples have come to know. We must also know them and live our lives by them. Whatever He  desired for them, is applicable to us now.

A recap of some of the areas He mentioned. One of the things He talked about was that He had given all the words the Father gave to Him to them. The import of this statement is that we must also come to terms with the truth of the scriptures, such that no one through any cunning means would be able to take any of us captive. Our world is controlled by Satan and so He has inspired many to teach heresies, against the truth Col 2:8 KJV “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

The next major concern of the Lord in His prayer was the unity of His church. The Church cannot afford not to be united. The church’s unity is its glory. The church cannot be powerful without a united front.

There are some groups who do not believe in the basic tenets of faith of the church like the deity of our Lord Jesus, salvation by grace through faith in the finished work of our Lord Jesus, and others. Such groups cannot be considered as part of the church, but we do our best to win them to the Lord. No Christian group or church should attack another church, because it bears another name, no! We have one Lord over us all, and must always acknowledge that. Certain doctrinal differences that have nothing to do with the basic tenets of faith should not make us enemies. We are still under the same Lord, the same Holy Spirit, and the same Father over us all.

THOUGHT: OUR UNITY IS PARAMOUNT, MAINTAIN IT

FURTHER STUDIES

Eph 4:3 ,4 KJV” Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;”

1Co 12:25 KJV ” That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 17:19 KJV” And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.”

In our previous study we looked at how the Lord Jesus sought to see His disciples sanctified as a result of Him   being a role model to them in sanctification. In today’s study we would consider the practical lessons of how the Lord stayed sanctified. Firstly, I wish to state that, the Lord was not focused on overcoming sin, but His desire and longings was to please the father. To be occupied with overcoming sin can really get you living a very frustrated life, but to be occupied with pleasing the Father, makes sinning an issue not to consider in the first place, and so there comes no contention with sin, but doing the positive things that exhort the name of the Father.

With the desire to please the Father, it took away the consciousness of sin, making the mind dwell on more glorious things that honour the Father. John 8:29 KJV” And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.” When the mind of a man is freed from mundane matters unto doing things that are of pleasure to the Father, the flesh is also freed of the hang overs of sinful ways. (This does not mean the desire to sin may not come, but its compulsive strength over you will not be there).

Let’s consider the temptation of the Lord Jesus. Satan came to Him, at a time when He had fasted and was really hungry. Satan knew that food was not readily available. He asked Him to turn stones into bread and eat. His mind was on the wavelength of pleasing the Father and so He quickly answered the devil saying, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Matt 4:4. He was not torn between pleasing the Father or satisfying His hunger. He had settled it once and for all that, God is the one who must always be pleased and not man, or the flesh. A decided mind cannot be tempted.

The next thing He did to keep Him sanctified was that He was very spiritual. To be spiritual is to be dominated by the scriptures. In another sense to be spiritual is to be controlled by the scriptures. During His temptations, Satan asked Him to bow to Him, so he the devil would give Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. The Lord quickly answered, “Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Throughout the temptations He kept saying, ‘ it is written’ He was not just filled with the scriptures, He was yielded to the scriptures. Spirituality is when the mind and the heart are all controlled by the scriptures. Having the scriptures in your memory does not make you spiritual, but when your heart is surrendered to the scriptures then are you spiritual.

THOUGHT: REAL VICTORY IN LIFE IS WHEN A MAN TRULY LOVES GOD.

FURTHER STUDIES

John 4:34 KJV” Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.”

Rom 12:2 KJV” And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Joh 17:19 KJV” And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.”

This verse shows the real concern of the master for His followers. The Lord Jesus is by nature a holy and upright man. In this verse He focuses His attention on His disciples, seeking a life of holiness and uprightness from them. To see it in them He chooses to make His life an example to them. This is the best way for any leader to teach his followers various acts. It is by being the right example to them. This principle is replicated in the right parenting as well. Leadership is all about influencing your followers to do the right thing.

Every disciple is a learner. He follows by observing what his leader does and practices the same. This is the reason every great leader should first be a disciplined person. This is a product of humility. This is also the reason it is said that leaders are servants. The leader shows the way by doing.  Our master Jesus was the greatest leader of all time. He taught most of the lessons through practicing the act to his followers. His disciples came to Him asking to be taught to pray as they saw Him pray always. He built the desire to pray in them by demonstrating the act to them.

From our key scripture, the Lord walks according to the teachings of the truth. He walks in love, and perfected it by laying His life on the cross. He kept Himself by living a holy and upright life such that, Peter saw it and wrote in 1Peter 1:16 that ” …… Be ye holy; for I am holy”. The Lord demonstrated a life of holiness, and so demands holiness from us. The word of truth is the only standard for our lives. Live your life totally according to what it teaches. It is life and light. This statement means, it has the ability to make you do what it instructs you to do. Your part is to learn what the scripture teaches, believe it and practice it. When one believes the word, he would surely receive the ability to do what it says.

THOUGHT: GREAT LEADERS ARE DOERS THAN TALKERS.

FURTHER STUDIES

Matt 11:29 KJV” Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

Heb 12:2 KJV Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.