KEY SCRIPTURE: Heb 2:10 KJV” For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”

In our last study, I made a statement that when a man is born into Christ, he is transfigured into the very status of our Lord Jesus. Some have asked what this statement means. What kind of status of the Lord are we talking about? Before I get into the nitty-gritty of this matter, I would like to establish that our heavenly Father did not send the Lord Jesus to gather followers for Himself. He came to raise a family for the father.
People who are like Him in every way. We were not enlisted into the association of believers in Jesus, but were born into Him. The scriptures said that as many as believed in Him were given the power to become sons of God. Our birth as sons of God placed us in the family where our father is the almighty God. Heb 2:11 KJV For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren. This verse means we and the Lord Jesus are from one Father. He calls us His brethren.

Now our key scripture teaches us that the Lord has brought many sons into glory. He did this through His death and resurrection. We were planted together with Him and raised together into the same glory. Romans 6:5. Now Romans 8:30 shows us how He did it. Rom 8:30 KJV Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Please note that our glorification with Christ in this context has already taken place. It is this state of glorification that has brought us into the status of our master Jesus.

What does it mean to be glorified? We can understand it by considering the glorification of our Lord Jesus. To be glorified is to be honoured, given authority, power and beauty. Rev 5:12 KJV” Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.” This place is what believing in Jesus has brought us into..We are partakers of this glory. Please note that the Lord as God was already glorified. The glory and honour were won because of us. This has made us superior to demons, sin, sicknesses and all the works of darkness.

THOUGHT: JESUS RECEIVED GLORY TO BE SHARED WITH US

FURTHER STUDIES

2Pe 1:3 KJV” According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:”

Eph 2:6 KJV” And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:”

KEY SCRIPTURE 1Ti 2:7 KJV” Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.”

Apostle Paul states in 1 Timothy 2:6 that our Lord Jesus gave his life as a ransom for all men. He also says that God has chosen him to be a preacher to all Gentiles. This was his ministry. Rom 11:13 KJV “For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:” He admits his special call and declares that he magnifies his office. To magnify has the following meanings: to praise, to celebrate, to impart glory, and to render it excellent. Apostle Paul says he attends to these calls with his perfect commitment. He means it is of premium dedication. He demonstrated this by sacrificing his life for the course.

Let’s consider some of the things he had to go through to fulfil this calling.2 nd Corinth 11:Much labours, abundant stripes above measure, more frequent in prisons, five times received forty stripes, three times beaten with rods, stoned once, thrice he suffered shipwreck, for a full day was in deep waters, perils of waters, perils of robbers, and a countless traumas that he had to face so he would fulfil this ministry of carrying the gospel to the Gentiles. ( Paul was told he had to suffer all these; you are not.)

The Lord has called every one of us to be witnesses of His gospel. Joh 15:16 KJV “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” Dear reader, this message from the Lord is to each of us. Whether we would be successful or not depends on whether we magnify this call as Paul did, or we do not. Apostle Paul did not endure all that trouble because he was strong-willed, no. He did it because he decided to obey the task the master gave him. He not only decided but also committed himself to doing it. The next thing that happened to him was a reception of God’s grace. It was the grace of God that made Him so successful.
Grace only goes into action when we believe and commit ourselves to doing what we have been instructed.

Dear child of God, it is your turn to project the course of the gospel. Decide today that you will share the gospel with the rest of men who have not come into the knowledge of this glorious message. You may be asking what I say to them. Well, you need to learn the word yourself. Listen to evangelistic messages. On this very platform, I have shared lots of messages on how to preach or share the gospel with others. You can also share your personal testimonies with them. Yoy can read the messages on some gospel tracts and share them with your friends. The most important thing is to have a strong passion to see men saved from the power of sin. Stop considering your weaknesses, but rather consider the urgency of the call and the plight of the sinner, if he is to die in his sins. Love the Lord, love the lost sinner

THOUGHT: DECIDE TO BE A CARRIER OF THE GOSPEL, ACT ON IT, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT WOULD DO THE REST

FURTHER STUDIES

1Co 15:10 KJV “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”

1Co 9:16 KJV “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!

KEY SCRIPTURE:1Th 5:18 KJV” In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

The Holy Spirit says we ought to give thanks in all situations. He then added, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus. Giving thanks is one of the acts that sends great confusion into the camp of the enemy. Satan’s number one agenda is to succeed in creating a very wrong image of God the Father. If he succeeds in doing that, then men have lost their only defence. They have no hope again. To be thankful always defeats the liar’s number one agenda. It is the greatest frustration you can give to him( satan)..Thanksgiving is the right protocol to approach the King of kings. ( Ps 100:4)One version of the bible says it is the password to assess the presence of God.

Many times, we are in a hurry to present our needs in prayer and even feel it is a waste of time giving thanks. Dear one, we must understand that the father knows all about our needs. Thanking Him is a way of saying that the Father has already answered the need.
Thanking God keeps us free from complaining or murmuring, and Thanksgiving stirs up joy in the heart. Joy protects the soul or spirit from being wounded by anxiety or worry. It is an agile spirit or soul that sustains a man’s infirmity or weakness. Pro 18:14 KJV The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?

How can one lead a life of thanksgiving? Take some moments to think of God’s goodness to you. Reflect on the many answered prayers. You may list them down and write them out. Consider his general goodness like the free air we breathe, the sun that is our major source of energy, how our bodies function to drink, eat, talk, walk, or even laugh. How would one’s life be if any of these body organs stopped functioning as they should? A look at these things should cause you to be very grateful to the Lord. Some people do the very opposite by focusing on what they do not have to be constantly complaining. Anyone found on that web is caught up in Satan’s prison. Everyone in this life has something that is not readily available, yet having the Lord on your side has potentially given you all things. Psalm 23:1, from the living bible, says the Lord is my shepherd, and so I have everything I need. That is enough to make you deeply appreciative of the Lord. Be careful not to lead your life according to what you think others expect you to have. This can siphon any appreciation from your heart to make you worried and always complain.

THOUGHT: THANKSGIVING IS A MEANS THAT PLACES YOU IN THE REALM OF GOD’S ABUNDANCE

KEY SCRIPTURE:1Ti 2:5 KJV” For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”

Our key scripture shows us that our Lord Jesus is the only mediator between God and men. It ends with the phrase the man Christ Jesus( please note that although He is a man, He is yet completely God). What is the significance of this statement? Our Lord Jesus existed through eternity as the Word of God. John 1:1-3. In verse 14 of John 1, the bible said he took on flesh and lived among us, demonstrating to us the kind of life God has ordained for His children to lead. Heb 12:2 KJV Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; ……….” He was finally killed and resurrected to give us the very life that reigned in Him. We have His example and then have received the very life force that worked through Him. This is what the scripture calls Christ in you, the hope of Glory. He ascended bodily into heaven, not to revert back to His state as the word of God, but in the form of man.

This is very amazing. Why is He still maintaining the form as a man? The first thing to consider is that this is an act of God’s grace that makes Him function in heaven as our representative. He is a high priest who makes intercessions on our behalf. Heb 4:14. As our high priest, He enforces the word of God that we declare. Be assured that when you speak in consent to what God says, there is your representative before God who approves and, with the permission of the Father, sends angels to do what you have said.

As our representative, we, the body of Christ, are seated in Him. He bears our name, and whatever authority He has is ours. Eph 2:6 KJV “And hath raised us together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” On earth, we also bear His name. There is an inseparable union between us and Jesus. His presence before the father has given all of us access to the presence of the father. We live on earth, but at the same breath, we are vitally living in heaven. If there are any people holding the highest authority on the earth, then it is you and me, the Christians. A lack of a perception of this makes a number of Christians pray without knowing the potency of their prayer. When you pray on the earth, it is just as the Lord Jesus whispering into the Father’s ears. Every prayer that is not of the flesh and said in Jesus’ name is always answered, because Jesus is there in our name. All that has been said above is just a bit of why Jesus is still in heaven in the form of a man.

THOUGHT: OUR LORD JESUS IN HEAVEN HAS COMPLETELY CHANGED WHO WE ARE IN THIS WORLD

FURTHER STUDIES

Heb 7:25 KJV “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

Heb 7:28 KJV” For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

KEY SCRIPTURE: 1Ti 2:5 KJV “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”

A man was asked how one religion could claim to be the only way in the face of the multiplicity of religions. He answered as follows. It all depends on the credibility of Jesus Christ. It was Jesus who said He is the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but by Him John 14:6.This Jesus said he had the ability to heal the sick, bind the broken-hearted and open blind eyes and set the prisoners free( Luke 4:18-20). He honoured every one of these promises. He said He would be crucified and on the third day resurrect from the dead. It happened as He said. This was proved by the empty grave as well as the Jews, who could not challenge the fact that the grave was empty. Jesus appeared to His disciples for a period of forty days, and the evidence was that these fearful, timid disciples were ready to die for what they claimed they had seen. What transformed them from fearful men to bold, fearless men? Finally, Jesus ascended into the heavens right before the eyes of these men.

Apostle Peter added to all these in 2nd Peter 1:15-17 that he has not followed cunningly devised fables when he made known the coming of our Lord Jesus, but was an eyewitness of His majesty and power. This incident refers to the Lord’s transfiguration on the Holy Mount, when Moses and Elijah appeared to Him. The greatest evidence of the credibility of Jesus Christ is the thousands upon thousands of lives that have been transformed or supernaturally healed in His name. Jesus is the only mediator between God and men. All other ways do not lead to the father, maybe to someone else who is not God, the creator, the one whom the Bible calls YAHWEH.

The first part of our key scripture says God is one. We do not have three Gods but one God who has manifested Himself as three persons. These distinct persons function for the salvation and preservation of mankind 1Pe 1:2 KJV “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.” In this work of man’s salvation, the Son, who is fully God, yet fully man, played the role of offering His life as a man to die for men to make a perfect means of saving men. Jesus, our Lord, as a man, conquered Satan so all men could legally claim victory over Satan as men’s victory. 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. Dear one, this is your opportunity to make Jesus your Lord, if he is not

THOUGHT: GOD AS TRINITY MAKES A PERFECT BLEND FOR MAN’S SALVATION

FURTHER STUDIES

2Co 13:14 KJV” The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.”

Isa 9:6 KJV “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

KEY SCRIPTURE:1Ti 2:3 KJV” For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;”

Someone once asked, if there is a God who rules over this universe, why is there so much evil happening all around us? Eighty per cent of the international news is all about evil and horrific calamities. They ask Does God truly control the universe? Please listen attentively. God created all things, yet He does not control everything that happens in this life. A great degree of what happens is caused by humans. God has given man free will to do what pleases him. The scriptures teach that most of the evil happenings are as a result of people’s choice to be disobedient to the word of God 2Ti 3:1 KJV “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come, For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,”

The story of Job reveals to us a lot of behind-the-scenes events. In that story, we saw diverse horrible calamities befalling Job. Job himself confessed that God gave and He has taken away, blessed His name forever. Was it God who took away? No, it was the devil and his demons. These evil beings create lots and lots of havoc.

Our key scripture teaches us that it is the will of God that all men live in peace and in honesty. The Lord taught His disciples to pray as follows, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. What goes on in heaven? There is no evil, no destruction, no sickness. This is what the Lord wants for all men. 1 Timothy 1:4 says God wants all men to be saved. He does not want any to perish. All these can be possible if men, that is, the children of God, would pray. We cannot wish for a change without passionately interceding for God’s intervention.

Every Christian is a priest unto the Lord according to 1 Peter 2:9.Every priest offers sacrifices and offerings on behalf of the people. Heb 8:3 KJV” For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.” The sacrifices we are to offer are our intercessions for men. This is our priestly duty. We cannot afford to fail. Failure in this call is the prevailing of wickedness and sin all around us. The Lord says He seeks an intercessor to stand in the gap and make intercessions so that peace and God’s will might be done among men. It seems most people in these times are mainly concerned about themselves and their needs being met. This is a big failure on our part and a big disservice to God. May we repent and seek the will of God to be done on earth?

THOUGHT: GOD’S WILL CAN BE DONE ON EARTH, IF ONLY CHRISTIANS INTERCEDE FOR IT

FURTHER STUDIES

Mat 6:10 KJV” Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”

Isa 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.”

KEY SCRIPTURE 1Ti 2:1 KJV I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

The word “intercede” means to act between two parties with the thought of reconciling the two of them. The prayer of intercession is standing in the gap in prayer on behalf of another. Normally, we intercede for the unsaved.

Apostle Paul instructs Timothy that one thing he must do first is to intercede for all men, beginning with all who are in authority. Leaders are the main targets of the kingdom of darkness. When Satan holds sway over leaders, then the rest of the citizens are under his control. The only means to keep the whole people living in peace is to secure the leaders from satanic influences.

God said
something to Israel through the prophet Isaiah, which shows that he desires His people to intercede on behalf of others. Isa 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.”
God is seeking His will to be done on the earth, and it takes intercessors to get this done.

Our key scripture also reveals God looks for people of prayer to stand in the gap to make up the hedge and to intercede so that people’s lives can be free from the enemy’s influence and not have his way among the people.1Ti 2:2 KJV” For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty”.

In Genesis 18 23-32 (please read through), Abraham stood in the gap for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. In that story, Abraham asked God to spare the city if there were fifty righteous people. He kept beating the number down to ten, yet the Lord was ready to hear him. If God, in the time of Abraham, was ready to be so patient and spare such sinful people even if He could find only ten righteous souls, how much more now in the new covenant.

So much in our society would have changed if we had stood in the gap to intercede for people. Let us arise and stand in the gap for our nation, our families, and our communities, for the Lord seeks intercessors so evil would be stayed.

Why should a man intercede before God can affect a change? When people break God’s law, the evil one has the full right to destroy. It is the prayers of the intercessor that give God the right to intervene. God, the creator, has leased the earth into man’s hand, and so He must be invited by man to act on the earth.

CONFESSION

I commit myself to standing in the gap for my family, community, nation, and various events in the world. I would not hold my peace until righteousness breaks forth and the will of God is established.

FURTHER STUDIES

Isaiah 62:1“For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth”.

Isaiah 64:7 ” And there is none that calleth upon thy name that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities”.

KEY SCRIPTURE:1Ti 1:20 KJV” Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.”

After our previous study, some brethren have asked me why Apostle Paul says he has given certain brethren over to satan so they learn not to blaspheme any longer. Dear child of God, many children of God have not come to terms with the superiority of their faith over any physical thing they could have. The Lord asked, What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul. Your soul is very precious, and such disciplines are to prevent you from losing your eternal salvation. Some brethren have taught that once a person is saved, he cannot lose his salvation. We saw from apostle Paul’s statement to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 about the brother who was to be disciplined that way 1 Corinthians 5:5 KJV “To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” The scripture clearly stated the importance of such corrections or disciplines in the church of God.

We remember a lot of statements the Lord said, about the fact that it is better to lose something or everything in this life, so you would be prevented from going to hellfire. Many people still consider hellfire as a religious thought to frighten people, and not a true place of eternal torment, of the kind of torture that cannot be compared to any form of suffering in this life. Dear child of God, you must tremble at God’s word and give no place to sin. Secondly, many people do not acknowledge the spiritual covering of the church. Some just speak very badly about the church and do not see the great spiritual authority the church holds over their lives.

I once talked with Arch Bishop Duncan Williams( I have also heard him share it with different audiences)about his insubordination to his Spiritual father, the Late Arch Bishop Benson Idahosa. He said that because of his action, the man of God who admitted him into his bible school and graduated him, although he was not qualified to graduate, just rebelled against his spiritual father. His Father said to him You are now on your own. This means you are no longer under my spiritual covering. Arch Bishop Duncan Williams said after that statement from his spiritual father, Satan rose up against him to the point that his life became unbearable. He was constantly in the state media for all the negative reasons( scandals that were not true). The Bureau of National Investigations ( BNI) in Ghana was constantly at his heels. He really understood what it meant to lose your spiritual covering for Satan to take over. He said he met Arch Bishop Idahosa at London airport, and he quickly went to him, holding his feet and pleaded for mercy. The man of God just said ‘Satan, this matter is between me and my son, leave him alone. That was the end of all the attacks that came his way. Please dear child of God, do not underrate the authority of the church or that of God’s servants who He has placed over you, Heb 13:17 KJV” Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”

THOUGHT: YOUR ETERNAL SALVATION IS OF PRIME IMPORTANCE, PROTECT IT

FURTHER STUDIES

2Co 13:5 KJV” Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”

1Co 11:32 KJV” But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.”

KEY SCRIPTURE:1Ti 1:20 KJV” Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme

Apostle Paul explains ultimately why he charged Pastor Timothy not to allow any to teach false doctrines in the church. Such people do not employ a coupling of faith and a good conscience and so make a shipwreck of their faith. To make a ship wreck of their faith can be likened to a ship sinking in high seas. All the occupants of such a ship may sink and die; they have no lifeboats or ability to swim ashore. In a more practical way, they have lost their faith. Such people do not sink alone, but they overthrow the faith of others 2Ti 2:18 KJV “Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.”

In this particular incident, Hymenaeus and Alexander went around teaching that the resurrection of the saints had already occurred. The bible teaches that at the appearing of Jesus, all people who died in Christ shall arise, and those of us who are alive and remain shall all meet the Lord in the clouds 1st Thess 1:16,17. This is a form of the resurrection that would occur at the appearing of Jesus. There would be other resurrections, including the resurrection of sinners for their final judgement and a subsequent casting into the lake of fire, which the bible calls the second death. Rev 20:13,14.All these resurrections are yet to take place. ( I would teach on these various resurrections at a later study)What then were the bases for Hymenaeus and Alexander going about to teach that the resurrection had already occurred? This was purely an act of insincerity on their part. It was out of an impure conscience seeking to destroy the faith of the knowledgeless ones.

Apostle Paul says he has given these men over to satan..Let’s make a reference to an occurrence of an incident similar to this one. This incident can be found in 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 (please read this passage). It involved a young man who was having an affair with his father’s wife. This would be described as uncovering his father’s nakedness, an act that warranted the death of the culprits under the old covenant( lev 18:8). Now let’s look at apostle Paul’s instruction concerning how such people are to be handled.1Corinth 5:4-5 KJV “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” This verse reveals the authority of the leadership of the church, especially the pastor, holds in the church At such a meeting of the leadership they declare the excommunication of such a brother and by a statement of faith say that such a fellow has been handed over to the devil, to torment his body for a season so his spirit may not perish in hell but would ultimately repent. This instruction is supposed to be carried out in love for the brother and not as a way for anyone to satisfy their ego to see a brother suffer.

In the account of 1st Timothy 1:20, apostle Paul, in his capacity as an apostle, said he had delivered Hymenaeus and Alexander to Satan, so they would stop being blasphemous and heretics as well. His hope for such an action was the ultimate conversion of such rebellious heretics. Dear child of God, be warned of the serious consequences of dying without repentance from any wicked way; your part would be in hell, considering the fact that the church had to employ such a way to restrain people from dying in their sins.

THOUGHT: NEVER ENTERTAIN SIN IN ANY FORM

FURTHER STUDIES

2Co 5:11 KJV” Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.”

1Pe 4:18 KJV And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?