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The Act of Giving
Let’s commence this review by affirming that the act of giving is not merely a talent; it’s a grace that every Christian should possess. No believer is exempt from this responsibility, just as with prayer. Prayer is not a specialized gift or ministry; it is a fundamental duty of every believer. If one does not engage in prayer, their journey with God has not truly begun. I wouldn’t want us to compare the gift of help in I Corinthians 12:28 with the act of giving, they look similar but very different. Today we’ll be expounding on the act of giving and why we ought to pray for God to give us the grace of giving.
TEXT: I Corinthians 12:28, Ephesians 4:11, Proverbs 11:24, Acts 20:35, II King 5:1, Luke 8:2, Galatians 6:9
God is inherently a giver, and can we consider giving as part of God’s nature? Absolutely. Giving is ingrained in the essence of God and should likewise be intrinsic to us as believers. If we examine everything on Earth, right down to the air we breathe, it is bestowed upon us freely by God. If our Creator can demonstrate such generosity, then what prevents us from emulating the same, especially when God is our ultimate source?
We must recognize factors that can hinder our prayers, and one such hindrance we address today is the act of giving. While it’s acceptable to pray for blessings, lacking a spirit of giving can lead to impoverishment. The practice of giving should be instilled in every household by parents.
The Significance of Giving for Believers (Luke 12:32)
In clear terms, Jesus emphasized the importance of giving by instructing us to sell our possessions and provide for those in need. Why? Because such actions store up treasures in heaven where they remain secure, untouched by theft or decay. However, how many of us are willing to undertake this directive outlined by Jesus? It’s important to recognize that this act is akin to a sacrifice, unrelated to meeting our own needs but focused on benefiting others. Engaging in such acts of giving is indeed a pathway to blessings. If you seek blessings, you must incorporate the practice of giving into your faith.
Prayer itself does not bring blessings; rather, it removes obstacles that hinder the flow of blessings. Therefore, if you desire to be blessed, you must cultivate a spirit of generosity.
The Attitude of the Widow of Zarephath towards Elijah (1 Kings 17:1)
An attitude worthy of emulation is demonstrated by the widow of Zarephath. Despite having limited resources, she chose to selflessly provide for Elijah. This act serves as a testament of true generosity, acknowledged even by Jesus Christ Himself. Such acts of giving should be replicated in the New Testament. Unfortunately, many of us hesitate to display such kindness, often citing excuses.
It is imperative to dispel the misconception that giving to the wealthy, particularly servants of God, is unnecessary. Regardless of one’s status, supporting a genuine servant of God is a wise investment that yields blessings. However, it’s essential to give with sincerity, avoiding any semblance of showmanship or seeking recognition. Give with the sole purpose of honoring God, and may the Almighty guide us in this endeavor.
Join us next week for another enlightening discussion.
Shalom.
Finding Yourself in The Mirror of God’s Words
What is the purpose of a mirror?
A mirror serves as a vital instrument in human life, particularly for women, aiding in assessing one’s appearance and various aspects of physical presentation. When you gaze into a mirror, it reflects your image back to you. It is not merely decorative but rather serves as a tool for identifying and rectifying errors in our appearance. For those who are earnest in their self-improvement, observing shortcomings in the mirror should prompt corrective action. However, for many individuals today, mirrors have lost their utility as they disregard the guidance offered by their reflections. This notion aligns with the message conveyed in the book of James.- For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass, For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. (James 1:22-24)
Text: James 1:22 -24, 2 Corinthians 3:18, John 1:1, Psalms 119:89, I Timothy 1:16, John 1:18, Exodus 33:20, I John 3:11, John 4:4-8,
Brethren, religious services will not take you to heaven, rather it will reward you if you make heaven, what will take you to heaven is when you are a doer of the word. It’s a pity today, that what we see people invest their energy in is religious activities and are not ready to correct their lives. When your mirror reflects what you look like to you, what is your response to what you saw? do we make adjustments especially when what we saw is not too okay? – I leave us to answer this.
Our concern today is our attitude towards the mirror of God which is the word of God (Bible). When a sincere believer looks at himself in the mirror of God (Bible), he or she will surely see something to correct, it is a fool who gets himself a mirror and chooses not to use it. The same thing goes for a Christian who has chosen not to use the mirror of God to correct his/her spiritual appearance.
It is the bible that can show you who you are, of cos you can pretend, but an original mirror cannot be deceptive, it will bring to your focus who you are exactly, and that’s is why you cannot compare the bible with any kind of book, it is a book that reflects the exact nature of God through several characters in the bible. you are either reflecting any of those nature or the other way round. – Do the check yourself. Talking about God’s nature as a forgiver, a lover, a father, and several attributes of God, you can always see that in the mirror of God (Bible). So also, who you are, reflects directly in the mirror of God, because you’ll surely see someone you resemble right there in the bible either to the good side or to the bad side.
If you are a fornicator, a backbiter, a dupe, or you possess other evil attributes and character, all these things cannot be hidden in the mirror of God. you reflect who you are in the bible. Who are you reflecting? Are you reflecting God or reflecting the devil? We need to find ourselves in the mirror of God’s word, who exactly are we in the mirror of God’s word? Are you a true believer or a cheat?
You’ll always see your look-alike (partner) in the bible as either to the positive or negative, no one sits on the fence, and you are either black or white when you check yourself in the mirror of God. The mirror of God through humans reflects two natures – The nature of God or the nature of the devil, we can also say it reflects two characters – God’s character or the devil’s character. Where do you belong?
Right from Genesis, God has always reflected his nature through people; people who gave themselves to him in totality, the same way the devil exhibits this by possessing people to reflect his evil characters – who is currently in possession of your life? The devil or God? The mirror of God can help you answer this question.
The only mirror given to any believer to change his or her character is the word of God, what we ought to reflect is the character of God, when you check yourself by the word of God and you see something different, I urge you to fix your appearance immediately, failure to do this is an express route to hell. If you are the type of person with anger issues, a lusting spirit, deceptive attitude this is the time to fix your appearances by the word of God. There is no point deceiving yourself, trust me it’s not worth the stress, we need to come out open to see our lapses in the mirror of God and be ready to correct them.
No matter your background or how deep you have gone into sin, God is ready to possess you, if only you can be sincere. Here is the call my brother or sister reading, are you standing right in the mirror of God, are there things you need to correct? Brother do not hesitate to respond to God’s call at this moment. I pray as you check yourself in the mirror of God’s word, we’ll not just see but act on the thing we need to correct.
Shalom
join us next week for our next episode
Stay Blessed.
THE TWO KINGDOMS
13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 4.
A kingdom is a realm or region in which something is dominant. Neither can there be a king without a kingdom, nor can there be a kingdom without a king. Those whom the king rules over are called subjects. Also, the king must have something to rule with, which is usually called the Law of the Kingdom.
For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, Colossians 1:13
In the above Colossians, we can justify that there are two kingdoms on earth: the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the devil. You cannot be neutral; you cannot belong to the two at the same time; you must belong to one. Having established a little foundation, we can flash back to say to ourselves that, in the beginning, there were no two kingdoms, but one. That kingdom was given to a king to rule over—Adam. Let’s see it in Genesis 1:27–29.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
This kingdom was ruled, administered, and controlled by the word of God. The nature of the kingdom was holiness; there was no sickness, immorality, or violence; it was simply a kingdom of God. The law that was guiding that kingdom was the word of God; it was a kingdom of such quality that Adam and his wife were both naked yet unashamed. This speaks of the transparency of the kingdom; it was a delightful domain (Eden).
Every kingdom, or instead, every king-to-be in a kingdom, would have something of promise to the people to get their interest. Similarly, God had things He promised them as partakers of the kingdom. The privilege of the kingdom gave Adam the right to name everything in the garden.
Regardless of whatever position God places you in and what commitment He designates in your care, He must test your obedience. He must be sure whether you are reliable, whether He can commit His task to you, and whether He can go to sleep with His two eyes closed. Obedience cannot be known without opposition; if there is no contrary force trying to pervert the instruction given to you to do otherwise, it cannot be said of you that you are obedient. But when you are challenged against the instruction given to you but stand by the instruction and refuse the opposition, then you are obedient.
God has been fellowshipping with Adam and his wife, He never had a reason to ask where he was, because he was always in his position. But one day, another king came with his manifesto, and it seemed lovely to the woman that she accepted it and sold the idea to her husband. Unknown to them, that was a test for them, which they failed, and God came asking, “where are thou?”
The devil was created for this purpose -God must test His own children to be sure you are reliable, to be sure you are loyal to His modus operandi. It is important you know this, so that when the tempter comes, you will not sell out your loyalty to the devil. When the devil came in the garden, he didn’t come with threatening, he wasn’t with gun to shut them down if they refuse him, he only sold to them his value system, and they chose it. That is the exact same thing the devil is doing to us, selling to us his manifesto, and it is our choice that we have made. Whether God or Satan, you will not be compelled to obedience, it is your choice!
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. James 1:13-14
The devil came in the garden and came with what he has to offer, he preached his own kingdom to them, did his campaign and went his way. However, the kingdom of the devil was established by “choice.” The kingdom was divided into two by choice. Let’s see it:
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. Genesis 3:1-7
They betrayed God’s trust and chose the kingdom of the devil by choice. God had to come down to drive them into the kingdom they chose. The devil will never tell you what is ahead of the glamour he is showing you; every action or choice has its consequence. Think about it. If it is the devil, every pleasure he is showing you has its danger. The commandments of God seem caging-in-nature because God will tell you the pros and cons of them, and because we are flesh, we are quickly enticed by what gives us freedom, whether it is in disguise or not. A wise man will think of the end of every action. But come to think of it, God is not a deceiver; everything that will happen to us in this journey has been foretold to us in His world, so we will know when scenes begin to unfold. He told us we would be hated, persecuted, and even killed. This tells us that those who are following God are not following Him because He deceived them into His kingdom. God will tell you the end of your choice, whether God’s or the Devil’s.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Matthew 24:7-13
Because of this untaught decision made, we all have been subjected to the kingdom of darkness, and that is where we are now—not just that, but also that we have our choices to make.
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15
See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. Deuteronomy 30:15-18
There is a condition revealed to us about the journey in the wilderness that tells us that our baptism in the name of Jesus Christ is good, but that’s not all required; we are going to be tested. As long as the rapture has not taken place yet, you need to keep your loyalty to God’s kingdom.
Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 1Cor. 10:1-6
The Kingdom of this world is a kingdom of beast, that is why everyone is behaving as such, living with no fear or regard for God. That is why God blocked The Way to the tree of life. Men, since the fall, have been searching out how to get back to the Tree of Life. This only signifies that we once had it. You can only search for what you have lost. Adam and Eve knew they had lost something because God did not take away their memory. Since then, every man has been searching and researching on how to get back to the beginning when everything was fine; they are looking for the way back, yet never have they come to the knowledge of the truth. They have invented science, religion, politics, and all they could think of to find peace, but none has given peace. Jesus Christ told us that HE IS THE WAY. He is the peace the world is looking for.
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14
For those who believe in Christ, there is hope for us. We may have been subjected into this world of vanity and kingdom of darkness, there is hope for those who, by choice, are choosing the way of Christ.
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. Romans 8.
Out of the research of men to make life better, they have come so far to establish democracy. But democracy will only end in handing over the world to man—the antichrist.
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. Daniel 9
21 And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. Daniel 11
Soon, the Prince of Peace will establish His Kingdom on earth. This is the hope of the believers.
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. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Isaiah 9:6-7
As we groan in this tabernacle, we have an assurance that we shall be delivered from this bondage of corruption into glorious liberty, for the earnest expectation of creation waits for the manifestation of the Son of God. Let us keep our hearts focused and our paths in the light of the gospel. Soon, the bridegroom will come, and His kingdom will be established on earth.
THEY THAT ARE READY
There is a compelling force that constrains young people expecting to get married; it is the force of love. They seem to be excited to get everything ready because they envision a future that working toward is no problem at all. Such a constraint of love and more is expected of us as well as believers in Christ expecting our coming bridegroom. This understanding explains to us the verse that says, “His wife has made herself ready.”
One of the things a bride prepares before the wedding is her garment. She wants to appear beautiful and pleasing to her husband-to-be. Meanwhile, you will believe with me that pleasing this man comes with knowledge of what he loves. This is similar to Christ; He has a garment He is expecting His bride to put on; you can’t assume what can please Him; you must know it. You may be thinking you’re beautifully clothed, but if you are not dressed after His heart, you’re as good as not having a dress. The garment of Christ is His word, and the garment of Christ is His Spirit.
Only those who are prepared can go in with the bridegroom. How prepared are you? Do you have your fine linens white and pure? If the LORD stops your breath today, what would be your end? We have an opportunity now; let us use it to prepare and make ready our garment. Folding your garment here on earth is a guarantee for life assurance with Christ. This is what we can refer to as true riches. Don’t spend your life gathering the wealth of this world.
You cannot replace the Holy Spirit with the knowledge you acquire from sermon books. The Bible already told us that knowledge puffs. Without the Holy Spirit, the result of your knowledge of the word is pride. The Holy Spirit is not important; it is mandatory. Therefore, examine what you call the Holy Spirit to see if it truly is the Holy Spirit or mere emotions. Let’s see what the owner of the Church said to us in Revelations 3
14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
This is the condition of the church of Laodicea, which is our age, but we should not be found naked because Christ has come to clothe us. The Fivefold ministry is God’s wardrobe for clothing us -God has given them the word of life with which they must clothe us with. There is no other way to be clothe when you refuse them. The prophet of this age, when he was asked if the bride would have a ministry after his departure, he said, “certainly”, the ministry he pointed to is the fivefold ministry. Your private study of the sermon books in your house cannot clothe you. You need God’s given ministry for clothing. You need to see yourself from God’s eyes so you can know where you stand, otherwise, you may be arguing that you’re clothed and wealthy, meanwhile you’re naked and miserable. Yes, you receive the Holy Spirit in a day, but you are being filled with the Holy Spirit daily. Again, the clothe that will cover our nakedness is in the hands of His Servants. You have to come into the message for this hour to be clothed.
And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
14 For many are called, but few are chosen. Matthew 22.
First, we need to establish that you are not named with Christ until you take His name in water baptism. You identify with Him when you take the name of the LORD JESUS CHRIST in baptism, not in any trinity. When you have done this, that is when you can on your knees to request His Spirit. You cannot have the genuine Holy Spirit if your baptism was done in the name of trinity.
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Acts 2:37-39
There is a wedding feast coming up, and your qualification is your pure wedding garment. For you not to be banished, you need to be clothed.
THE FAITH WE CONTEND FOR
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. Jude 1:4
It is necessary again, just like it was for Jude, to remind ourselves of the faith that was once delivered to us and how earnestly we must contend for it. This gospel of the kingdom has been dripping with blood—men laid down their lives, lost their homes, refused earthly gain, stripped themselves of their rights, to defend and stand in and for the faith. They understood that the gospel is not a child’s play. Men were not afraid to die. In fact, the center of the gospel, Jesus Christ, gave His life for us to have salvation, and if we must be worthy of the gospel, we have our prices to pay.
The calling of faith is not to work for God; rather, it is to walk with God. Just like Enoch, he walked with God and was not, because God took him. If all you do is work for God, you will miss the program of God. It is walking with God that reveals to you the program of God in your time and what your response should be in participating in the kingdom work. So, your motive for believing the gospel should be clean; you don’t come to Christ because you want to use Him to achieve your goals. The apostolic faith that has once been delivered is that true seed of the gospel that Christ Himself sowed, and that is what He is coming to reap, not some denominational creed. The faith for rapture cannot be gotten with a denominational faith. Therefore, it is expedient for us to contend for that particular faith that was once delivered—it is called the apostolic faith. If He comes to us and we are found without this faith, He will not accept us anyhow; God will not sow Christ and reap man; if He sowed Christ, He must reap Christ. So, your contending for the faith is not just to not let the gospel light die through you, but also to keep yourself worthy of Him at His appearing, for amongst all faiths scattered on the surface of the earth today, Christ is coming for one—the one He delivered to the saints.
Let faith become the compound you operate in; walk in that faith, live in that faith, and go about your daily life in and with that faith. It is not a threat, but if you refuse to contend for that faith, you will pay for it. As you contend for faith, your life gets thinner, and your flesh and worldliness are tearing off. You will be known in your manner of life that you are truly contending for something. Men of war have a lifestyle; they can’t afford the luxury of comfort and pleasure for too long; they are trained for war; and they must be instant in and out of season.
When the apostles had this faith, they sold their possessions, not because they had an ardent instruction but because there was agape amongst them; they could not endure their brothers having pain. Distributions were made according to everyone’s needs. This is a dark age, but this is an advantage for the bride; it gives them the opportunity to shine forth the light of Christ in them. If you are one of the elect, your life should preach the gospel. You will fight for the faith, not against it.
The Gentile’s time is ticking out, so walk while there is still light—while you have the gospel light still shining in your time and day. Examine yourself whether you are in the faith, and strive to ensure that the gospel light does not die in you, ensure that it does not die through you.
THE THREE STAGES OF OUR TRANSLATION
By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. Hebrew 11:5
There is a manner of man that would be translated; a precedence was set for us in Enoch. The Bible testified of him that he walked with the LORD and pleased HIM. This means that Enoch walked with God so much that there was no difference between him and the Spirit of God. If we must be translated likewise, there is a stature expected of us.
There was another man that was translated into the Old Testament, Elijah. When he was to go, the sons of the prophet knew it, and instead of walking closely to him, they were rather talking Elisha out of it. Elisha, who understood that he must not have his own ministry for gain’s sake, walked closely with Elijah, bridging the gap between them.
For us, our translation is in three stages:
- From Darkness to Light
- From Blood to the Word
- From Earth to Heaven
God sent us a message in this dispensation; the reason God sent us a prophet is not to make us Christians—there were Christians on earth before and when he gave; his message came to awaken us into translation. The message of the prophet was that cry that was made to awaken the sleeping virgins: “The Bridegroom cometh, come out to meet Him.” He was the potter who asked the question, “Watchman, what of the night?” His message brought us an awakening and a focus. Now, let us go through the stages of our translation.
FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT
The first translation is from darkness to light; this is what the word of God has come to do to us—to translate our mind from darkness to retain God in our hearts. A wicked man is someone who cannot retain God in his mind. Darkness is not just witchcraft; false doctrine is worse than witchcraft.
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: Colossians 1:12-13
This translation is a process; thus, we grow in it to the degree that we become completely obedient to the entire word of God. Hence, our knowledge and obedience to the word of God are not yet competitive. Some people still struggle with some basic instructions from the scriptures. A man can love to pray because he understands it in scripture but still struggles to give it to God; his knowledge is not complete. As he grows in the word of God, his translation is continuously increasing, and he is growing in stature. Therefore, it is a translation from false doctrine to righteous doctrine, from false religion to Christ, from a darkened mind into an enlightened mind.
FROM BLOOD TO THE WORD
For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. Romans 8:19-23
God knew what your weaknesses, failures, and mistakes would be. Jesus told Peter that Satan had desired to have him, but he had prayed for him so that his faith (revelation) would not fail. The Bible made us understand that creatures had been subjected to vanity. There is no good in any man. God has manifested through man and will still manifest Himself in and through man (flesh), but that flesh is still subject to vanity. That flesh must die; God does not need it. The Bible says that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; therefore, there is a translation for the creatures to be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. It is faith that will do this, too. Maybe we don’t have faith for this healing yet. This is not the healing of headache, or whatever ailment we have in the flesh, but this healing is a deliverance into adoption of sons. So, we groan in this body, and earnestly expect a translation from blood to water.
Yes, we have received the Holy Ghost, but we are still in the flesh. The Holy Spirit is an earnest payment for the full salvation that we are expecting. What are we expecting? The salvation of our bodies. That is why, with the Holy Spirit in us, we need a law to guide us until full adoption. And the law is the word of God.
It is safe to say here that since we are still in this body, you need fellowship. God is called the LORD of hosts; He does not want to dwell alone, so the seed died so that it would not abide alone. Find a brother to pray with; don’t despise the gathering of brethren; two are better than one. You must keep the salvation that has been given to you so that you can receive the fullness of it when the time comes. Let the translation begin and progress in your mind, translating you from darkness to light so that you will be found worthy to receive the full redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
We can take this further by saying that God has placed His servants with the word of God to rule over us, and it is expected of you to humble yourself under God’s mighty hand so that you can be exalted in due time. There is no private rapture. God is a God of order, and we must grow in order, for our translation must be in order. You cannot despise the shepherd God has placed you under and expect to go into rapture. Don’t outgrow the position God has placed you in if you don’t want to dry up.
Brethren, our bodies would be redeemed, that redemption is the healing of this body. When that redemption occurred, death would be swallowed up. The bride would not be raptured in a sick body. The Bible says, “to wit, the redemption of our body.” This may look like a grammatical error to a natural man because it says, “our body” instead of “our bodies.”. But it only tells us that our salvation is common, we have received like precious faith, and we are one body, one faith.
The blood of Christ shed on the cross was an offering made for us. Because he offered His blood, we can say from the scripture that He did not have blood anymore. He had flesh and bones, according to Luke 24, but not blood. Life is in the blood, and if He gave us His life, that means He shed his blood completely for us. That blood is in us if we are born again.
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. Ephesians 5:25-30
The body of Christ now powered by the word of God; He is in His glorified body. When we have gotten to this stage where we are translated from blood to the word, then it can be said of us that we have walked with Him. Then, we can expect the last translation -from earth to heaven.
FROM EARTH TO HEAVEN
Every family has a surname, and that surname is your name as well. When the family of Christ is called up, all who have walked with Him and have pleased Him would respond to this final call. There is a flight for us to catch, and there is an appointment with our bridegroom. Yes, the devil will obstruct you but as you journey but you must escape for your life. The urgency you give when you have a flight to catch at the airport, more of it should be given to this journey of faith that you have started, there a goal. As we grow in stature, and in partaking of His Divine nature, we groan, expecting the adoption of our body. When this is achieved, our final translation comes to play, God counts us worthy, like Enoch, like Elijah, to translate us from earth to heaven.
May God help us. Amen.