KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 16:18-19 “And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”.

The Lord said that” the gates of hell shall not prevail

against the church”. Men without Jesus are held in chains of darkness. They are bound under Satan’s power (Acts 26:15). These must be set free. 2nd Corinthians 4:4 says “in whom the God of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not…” Many of those who do believe not the gospel have been blinded by the demons of hell. They have all been bound by sin, and many are tormented with sicknesses.

We must set them free. Prayer, consistent prayer, is one main means to break the power of the darkness over these souls. Jesus said my house shall be called the house of prayer (Matthew 21:13). The church must be a place of prayer. The individual Christian is the temple of God and must pray for the salvation of these men. Remember James 5:16 says “The effectual fervent (heartfelt, continuous) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available, and it is dynamic in its working. (Amp Bible)

Many people see the church as a place where their prayer needs would be answered. Yes, God answers the request of His children, yet the main purpose of the church is to destroy the works of the devil. This includes saving the lost, and healing the sick, and virtually every work of the devil in the lives of men must be broken.

If you have been in the church for over one year and all your concern and focus is to ask God to meet your needs, forgetting about winning the lost, then you have not come to terms with your reason to become a Christian.

It is very unfortunate to find certain churches that do not focus on winning lost souls, and for that matter, they do not prepare their members for soul-winning and interceding for the lost souls.

Be an intercessor for the souls of men.

 CONFESSION

I have given myself over to interceding and winning the lost. I will depopulate hell to populate heaven.

 FURTHER STUDIES.

1 Samuel 12:23” Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way”: Matthew 21:13 ” And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves”.

Prayer Point: In the name of Jesus, may all those that Satan has blinded their minds be set free.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 16:18-19 “And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”.

We continue with our Lord’s statement to the disciples about the church.

We now look at the third point, which is, the warfare and the victory of the church. He said “and the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church”.

Please note the following about the church. The church presently consists of all believers in our Lord Jesus who are alive and those who are dead and have gone to heaven. (Hebrews 12:23, Ephesians 3:15). All the Christians or saints in heaven are called the church triumphant and those living on the earth presently are called the church militant. This implies that the church is a militant group warring to establish the purpose of God on the earth.

The purpose of God is shown in Acts 26:18 “To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith, that is in me”. This message was given by our Lord Jesus to Paul, yet it applies to us too. This is God’s purpose for every Christian. We are at war against Satan and his agents for the souls of men. Please our main warfare is not to secure our comfort, but mainly to set men free. In doing this God secures our comfort, blessing, and prosperity. Matthew 6:33.

The Lord said, the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church. Gates always symbolized the security of anything. Once the gates are possessed, you have no defense.  Gates are therefore secured with the best security. The gates of hell in our context is the forces of darkness that will stand to oppose us from setting their captives free.

Ephesians 6:12 declares, for we wrestle not   against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.(this kind of conflict is mainly to sway us off our feet, either  to minimise our impact or totally defeat us)

These beings also form the gates of hell. The Lord says they shall never prevail against us.

 Dear child of God, is there any condition defeating you. Please understand that the divine verdict have been established that these beings shall not overcome the church. Don’t let them overcome you.

Maintain your ground and refuse to be defeated.

 CONFESSION

The church of God is engaged in a warfare. A warfare for the souls of men. I have enlisted in this army to seek the salvation and deliverance of humanity from this bondage of hell.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Isaiah 54:17 “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.”

2 Corinthians 4:4 “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them”.

Prayer Point:  I command every power of demons of hell, holding anyone under my sphere of influence to be broken in  Jesus name

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 16:18-19 ” And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”.

The Lord Jesus said in our key scripture that He would build His church. The church is owned by the Lord. It is His very ⁰temple and body as well. 1st Corinthians 3:16, 1st Corinthians 12:27)

No one must claim any particular congregation is His. Some general overseers speak and say this church or congregation is mine. Please, no one must claim ownership of any church.. Jesus is the sole owner of every Christian organization. All leaders are stewards of His church. Everybody would give an account to Him at that great judgement day. 2nd Corinth. 5:10

Jesus is the builder and the founder of the church. He gave birth to the church after His death and resurrection. (John 20:22–23). He is the teacher of His church. Jesus said in Matthew 4:19 that “…follow me and I will make you fishers of men”. The Lord reveals the task and one main function of the church. It is to be fishers of men. Setting men free from the clutches of sin and satanic bondage. The Lord says we must follow him. The Lord is described as the author and finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2).

The Lord Jesus is the life of the church. (Galatians. 2:20, Col. 3:4). The church or Christians are physical representatives of the Lord Jesus. (Acts 9:4). The Christian is also one with the Spirit of Jesus (1st Corinthians 6:17). The church is Christ who has built himself into us. The Bible says this is a mystery. Col.1:27 put it this way “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”.

When the Lord declared that he would build His church, in fact He was going to build His very nature, life, power, glory into the church. The church is a mighty force on the earth. The Lord also shows this building process in Ephesians. 4:11-13. Ephesians. 4:13 shows the Lord’s vision for the church and it is “Till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”.

Jesus has made us like himself and seeks for us to measure to the full stature of Himself. No Christian organization must project any other person except our Lord Jesus Christ.

CONFESSION

The Lord Jesus is the builder of His church. He is the life, author, and finisher of the church’s faith.

FURTHER STUDIES:

Ephesians 4:11-12 ” And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:”

Hebrews 12:2 “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”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 16:18-19 ” And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”.

Our Lord Jesus Christ makes mention of the word church in our key scripture for the first time in the New Testament. The word “church” is the Greek word, ‘Ekklesia’. This word is a joining of two Greek words,’  ‘ek’ which means ‘out of’, or ‘from’, and the other word is ‘kaleo’, and it means to ‘call’. The meaning of the word church is ‘the called-out ones’. You have been called out of the world to project the purpose of God on the earth.

From our key scripture, the Lord Jesus made the following points about the church. These thoughts are drawn from our key scriptures. They reveal the church as a supernatural building in which God represents His presence, power, and works on the earth.

The foundation upon which the church would be built and materials for the building.

Who is the builder of the church?

The warfare and victory of the church

The authority of the church and application of this authority.

We look at each point in detail:

1. The foundation upon which the church would be built and the materials for the building. *

Matthew 16:18a “And I say also unto thee that thou art Peter and upon this rock…”

The Lord said you are Peter; Peter is the Greek word “Petros” which is ‘a stone’ he continued and said; “upon this rock”. The word rock used in this subject is the Greek word “Petra”. This is a bigger rock or a rocky ground. This implies the rock on which he would build the church is not Petros, which means Peter, but Petra, which is a large stone or a rocky ground. Jesus himself is the foundation upon which the church is built. 1st Corinthian 3:11 “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus is also the Chief Cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). As the foundation of the church, it means nothing can ever shake us.

The strength of every structure is its foundation. The church is built on an indestructible foundation. The Lord describes this foundational stone in Matthew 21:44 that anything that comes against it shall break up, but if this stone comes against anything, that thing would grind into powder.

 Dear child of God, as a member of God’s church, never consider any condition or situation as impossible to be defeated.

   CONFESSION

The church of God on the earth has the most secured foundation. Nothing can shake it. Nothing can overcome it. Victory is the constant experience of the church.

FURTHER STUDIES:

Matthew 21:44” And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder”.

Ephesians 2:20” And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;”

 Prayer Point:  In the name of Jesus, I have an indestructible foundation, and nothing can overcome me.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Mar 4:24 KJV” And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.”

In this last part of our discussion on how to keep the word in our hearts, we look at another vital point to get God’s word fully established in our hearts. We know that for any seed to get to the fruition stage, it must remain in the soil all the way through. We have also learnt that it is the presence of God’s word in our hearts that grows to become the miracle we may be expecting. Please note that the word in you is called believe. The word acted upon is called faith.

One way to act on the word is to speak it out of our mouths. Jos 1:8 KJV” This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success”. The Lord told Joshua that to be successful through the word, he must keep muttering the word. He says, do it day and night. What this action does is that you first establish God’s word further in the heart. Secondly, by saying it, your faith is stirred. Please be informed that, when the negative condition seems to be aggravated, do not change the words in your mouth. The moment you utter any other contrary word, you have instantly uprooted whatever you have planted over the period. You would have to start all over again. Be disciplined to keep God’s word in your heart.

The word of God teaches that what we believe, coupled with speaking accordingly, is that which works the miracle. Rom 10:10 KJV” For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Dear one, prepare your heart to trust fully in God’s faithfulness. Then make sure that you never stop saying what the word says, which you have believed. As you say it, act according to what the word says. The Lord assured us that if we diligently do this, our miracle would never elude us. Please, go through the earlier two studies and meticulously practice all that has been taught, if there is a condition in your life you wish to change through God’s word.

CONFESSION

I keep God’s word in my mouth, speaking it day and night. God is true to His word, and constantly watches over His word to perform it, for His word is alive and powerful, sharper than any double-edged sword, and cuts into the division of soul and spirit. All things are subject to His word.

FURTHER STUDIES

Heb 13:6 KJV So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

2Corinth 4:13 KJV” We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Mark 4:24 KJV “And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.”

In our previous study, we established that God’s word kept in our heart is what would germinate into our miracle. Mark 4:28 KJV” For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.” This verse explains the natural way that seed sown in the earth passes through unto fruition. All truth is parallel. As it happens in nature, so does it occur in the Spirit. Once again, the important part is to keep the seed or word firmly planted in your heart. In the parable of the Sower, the Lord taught that the heart or ground that bore fruits had to keep the word within. Luke 8:15 KJV” But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.”

Now, how do we keep the word in our hearts? The scriptures teach us how this can be done. Jas 1:25 KJV” But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” James the apostle teaches that the man who receives the word and continuously looks into the word, and does not forget what it says, but does what the word says, this man shall be blessed. The book of Proverbs has a similar rendering for us. Pro 4:20-22KJV “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”

In the last scriptural passage, the word shows us the step-by-step approach to making the word to become life or medicine to all our flesh.

It says give time for the word.

Incline your ear to the word. That is listen attentively as you read, also submit, accept, or believe what it says.

The next step is to keep it in your heart by not allowing your eyes to look away from it. If you approach it this way, it would indeed become life unto you.

Please listen to the following assuring words of God. Isa 55:11 KJV “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”The Lord says, so long as you are faithful to keep the word in your heart and to believe by doing what it says, then the word will surely prosper or do whatever it promised.

CONFESSION

God’s word is my seed for life with the ability to do whatever it has promised. I diligently attend to it, trusting and doing what it says. In this way, I receive my answer as God has promised.

FURTHER STUDIES

Isa 55:12 KJV For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Isa 55:13 KJV Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Mark 4:24 “And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given”.

We would look at the last part of our verse of discussion, Mark 4:24, which reads “and unto you that hear shall more be given”.

God acts on His words. Where there is no word of God, there is no substance for the Spirit of God to work with.

 Galatians 3:5 shows us how God works miracles.” He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”.  The phrase “the hearing of faith”, means “the hearing that produces faith”. The presence of God’s word in you always gives birth to faith.

The scripture said “and unto you that hear shall more be given”. Every man who hears, has the word in him. The word in you would produce your miracle

Now the real challenge is how to keep the word in you. Satan’s attacks against the Christian is to prevent him from keeping the word in his heart. When the Lord Jesus was explaining the meaning of the parable of the Sower, he said about the seeds that fell on the stony grounds this way, ” And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended”. (Mark 4:17) The affliction came because of the word in him. Now to be ‘offended’ means to give up on the word. Don’t give up on the word. One major reason for Satan’s attacks is to get you to give up on the word from your heart.

You can’t be denied your miracle so long as you have the word in your heart. Remember it is the ground with the planted seeds that will germinate and bear fruits.  Stop giving attention to the problem. Focus on the word and your miracle would not be denied.

 If you have the word in you, then you would surely receive your miracle.

  CONFESSION

God’s word in me is the seed for my miracles. I focus always on the word which gives birth to my miracles.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Hebrews 4:12, “for the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”.

Isaiah 55:3 ” Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Mark 4:24” And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given”.

In our study for today, we will look at the second aspect of the verse, Mark 4:24. This says, “With what measure you mete, it shall be measured back to you”.

This statement means that you receive from the word according to your response to the word. God’s word is the same for everyone. It is how each person responds to the word that matters.

In the parable of the Sower, various hearts or people gave different responses. Mark 4:14-20. Some did not bear any fruit at all. Others bore some fruits but in different quantities. Mark 4:20 ” And these are they which are sown in good ground, such as hear the word and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirty fold, some sixty fold and some an hundred”.

Why did some bear more fruits than the others? The answer is that they responded differently. The Lord gave us some clues in Matthew 12:35 about how this happens. He said, “a good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things; and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things”. He said your products or produce depends on how you treasure the word. Treasuring the word involves giving the word the attention and allowing it to dominate you fully.

 One’s ability to bear fruit depends on how much he keeps the word in his heart. James 1:25 also had this to say. “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed”. This man continues to look at the word, keeps it in his heart, and acts on what he is looking at. Beloved, getting results from God’s word is not God’s responsibility. It is our effort and commitment.

The book of Proverbs 4:20-22 says the same thing “My son attend to my words, incline thine ears unto my sayings, let them not depart from thy eyes, keep them in the midst of thine heart for they are life unto those that find them and medicine to all their flesh”.

For the word to give you good results, you must work at it.

CONFESSION

God’s word is an incorruptible seed with every ability to produce whatever it says, I give it all the needed attention and does what it says. In this way, the word always produces in me whatever it says.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Joshua 1:8 “this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shall meditate therein day and night, that thou may observe to do according to all that is written therein. Then thou shall make thy way prosperous and have good success”.

Psalm 1:2-3. But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night. And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity].

KEY SCRIPTURE: Mark 4:24” And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given”.

The Lord Jesus warned us to be careful and selective about what we hear.

God works with words. (Isaiah 55:11) Satan also works with words (John 8:44). The principle of sowing and reaping is what both God and Satan use. We learnt that words are seeds. (Mark 4:14) God’s words are seeds of life yielding faith (Rom 10:17). The words of Satan are words of death yielding fear. Be careful. Satan does not succeed in planting his word in you.

What are the sources of the words of the devil? Satan’s words come through two main ways: They are:

Negative imaginations. 2nd Corinthians 10:4. The bible speaks of thoughts and imagination that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. These are mainly demonic in origin.

The next means of satanic words that come to men are traditions of men. Mark 7:13. Traditions are the practices and experiences of people that have been believed and passed on from one generation to the other. The bible cautions us in Colossians 2:8” 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”.

These traditions may come through the airwaves, advice from friends, personal experiences, and even through the pulpits. There are several teachings taught on various pulpits that have no biblical foundation or proper interpretation of the scriptures. These are ideas of men passed on from one generation to the other.

In 1st Samuel 17. It was the tradition of men that kept the armies of Israel paralyzed before Goliath, but David came with the word of God and conquered.

 Every spiritual failure comes from a positive response to some human tradition of some sort. (That is, to disobey the word of God.)

Now take this advice: any thought, imagination, teaching, information, experience or counsel that does not FULLY agree with the word of God is the word of the enemy and you must refuse and reject it.

 Decide to give attention to the word of God.

Faith in God remains the main answer to the impossibilities of life. Faith always comes by hearing the word of God. (Rom 10:17)

 CONFESSION

God’s word is the tonic of life that gives birth to faith. I am not ignorant of the devices of the devil as he deceives men through deception, I would continually attend to God’s word and see my faith overcome life challenges.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Proverbs 4:23-24 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.

Mark 7:8, 13 “For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Mark 4:24” And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.”

Our Lord Jesus, after explaining the parable of the sower, went on to make some very weighty statements about life. “He said unto them, take heed what you hear; with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you, and unto you that hear shall more be given”. These words are very loaded.

The whole verse is divided into three parts.

Take heed what you hear.

With what measure you

 it shall be measured back to you.

Unto you that hear shall more be given.

He started by saying, “Take heed what you hear.” In simple terms, he is saying be   selective about what you hear.

Before I proceed to explain further on what the Lord said, please understand the makeup of every man. Every man is like an empty barrel or a plain field. Whatever you fill the barrel with, that is what will fill it. What you plant into a particular ground is what it will produce. Why are some people persuaded by a particular line of thinking? Why would some people decide to take up explosives on their bodies and die with others? Those people have been filled with a kind of information that has fully taken over their thinking faculties to act that way.

Words are like seeds. (Mark 4:14). They always bear fruit after their kind. Words of hatred will always breed anger, bitterness, war, and death. Words of love will breed concern, forgiveness, support, unity, and life. Why are you happy? You are so happy because you have heard words that excite your emotions to have positive expectations, praise, and inner satisfaction. Your world is made up of the words you hear.

In the beginning, God said some words to our first parents, Adam and Eve. The devil came and gave them his words. They listened, believed, and acted on those words of Satan, and so humanity began to be dominated by death, yet thank God who allowed Jesus to pay for our sins.

Please take heed what you hear. What you don’t want you don’t watch.

  CONFESSION

Every seed will produce its kind of fruit, such are the kind of words that I receive. I would only listen, read, and watch that which would develop that which I want to be and experience.

FURTHER STUDIES.

John 6:63. It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

John 1:14” And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.””