-THE WRITTEN WORD-
“After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst! Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to His mouth.
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, it is finished: and He bowed His head and gave up the ghost. ”JOHN 19: 28 -30.
“So then, because thou art lukewarm, neither cold or hot, I will spew thee out of My mouth. 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.
I counsel thou 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 eye salve, that thou mayest see”…REVELATION 3:16-18.
-THE REVEALED WORD-
In the first part of this message, the Holy Ghost discussed the Church that will forever prevail against satan, and against all the forces of hell - at all times and in all circumstances. Today, however, He would throw some light on the state of the present Church; and why satan, and even beggarly elements, are today having a field day in the very house of God!
Today, we are witnesses to this very truth: that satan and his forces are toiling with the lives of many believers. Indeed, satan and worldliness have almost taken over most places folks describe as Church.
The gates of hell are on rampage, and the victims are largely Christians. And the Church seems to be losing the war to satan and his agents. God forbid!
Just the same way he beguiled Eve; satan is today also playing a fast one on the Church - by cajoling some folks that, contrary to the perfect will of God, a man’s life now consist in the abundance of his earthly possessions. Some call it prosperity doctrine, but the true name of that thing is the doctrine of error. And many are daily snared daily into it.
Today, those who are converting to what they call “other religions”, which is actually nothing in the sight of God, are in multiples, compared to those that are saved daily unto our Christ Jesus. Even some that were once gloriously saved in Christ are now questioning the very Truth that once delivered them.
One can venture to assert, without fear of contradiction, that we are now in the dispensation of the perverted church – the most carnal and worldly church since the day of the Pentecost.
And we are all to blame, without any exception.
-This is Where We Are Today -
We of this dispensation have reared a type of church that outwardly and vociferously confesses Christ; but in truth and in manifestations denies Him and all He stands for. No doubt, ours is a church that was founded on Christ; but has, over the time, gradually and systematically slipped into itself: unto worldliness, unto covetousness, unto nakedness, unto politics, unto shame and unto all manners of compromise.
May I quickly inform whosoever is willing to hear it, that playing politics on a church pulpit is vile before God. Whatever may be your reasons, you lack the authority of heaven to preach politics in the pulpit. Those who do so are pilling on themselves eternal consequences.
Today, we are under the weight of a church that is guided largely by the traditions of men and women, by the sleighs of ego-seeking folks. Instead of carrying the burden of the Lord, today many believers world-wide are all carrying the burdens of ambitious men and women.
We have conceived a church that seeks to please the world rather the Owner of the Church, our Lord Jesus Christ. Today, we are afraid to make folks feel uncomfortable in any manner.
Gradually, we have all become men's pleasers - enemies of the Cross. We have done despite the Spirit of God. We have broken the hedge and the serpent is biting virtually all of us. God forbid.
We take pleasure in trampling upon the sound doctrines of the Lord. We teach human wisdom in place of godly wisdom. We celebrate perishable things and despise the spiritual. Indeed, we have fallen into ourselves, into the world.
We have consciously espoused ourselves to nakedness and shame. We prophesy even God has scarcely spoken. We are just a gathering of folks that are given to always learning but never able to come to the true knowledge of God.
Ours is a church that boasts so much about love; but in character and manifestation swims in wickedness and hate, segregation and impunity.
We are of the so-called “modern church” that teaches and practices “modern doctrines” – deliberately ignoring the truth that Jesus Christ, the true Owner of the church, is the same yesterday, today and will forever remain the same.
-Point Of Correction, Please -
Brethren of the Lord, there is nothing like primitive and modern churches. As far as heaven is concerned, whatever was done in the first church, even in the biblical Acts of the Apostles, is also expected of today's, and indeed of tomorrow’s church - the same doctrines, the same applications, the same methods. This is the perfect will of God.
Therefore, if you have told yourself, or somebody told you, that you are a “modern” preacher of this gospel, you are just living a lie, maybe without knowing it.
We must all quickly come to terms with this very truth: that every calling and ordination in Christ is the same even as it was in the days of the Apostles, even of the biblical prophets. Whosoever is called into the vineyard of the Lord, even today, is also called unto the same common, continuing and everlasting mandate – to turn folks to Christ.
Any church that deviates from the apostolic and prophetic doctrines and practices, both in form and substance, will continue to be buffeted by satan and his agents. That church cannot prevail against the forces of darkness, never. That very church cannot produce credible candidates for heaven at last.
Ironically, the present church has only one striking similarity with the true church of Jesus Christ: - in collecting tithes and offerings!
-Enduring Sound Doctrine-
Brethren, the calling of the believer is a calling unto all endurance, unto all righteousness. It is the calling of a soldier – to endure the pressures and motions of the gospel.
But how many of us are truly ready to endure? How many of us would not cry that they are being condemned, especially when the true gospel comes calling? How many of us would not accuse those who preach the truth of this gospel of preaching condemnation? Search yourselves whether ye still be in the faith.
In our time, that word, condemnation, has become a shield and a temporary escape route for compromising believers world-wide. But how far can we run from reality?
People of God, can we afford to continue in sin and impunity that the grace of our holy and righteous God may continue to abide? Are we stronger than God? Can we contend with Him? Shall we continue to cry grace, grace; while at the same time trampling upon all that Christ died for? God forbid!
Make no mistake about it, salvation is not of works and can never be. Yet those that are saved can only make heaven by daily walking out the same salvation and in fear and trembling. This is the perfect will of God.
Brethren, hear it this very day: that salvation is a journey and not an end in itself. After we are saved, we are required to remain saved until we get to heaven. The principal thing here is to remain saved, which is a living process. And to remain saved, we must consciously work out the same salvation, day by day, in righteousness and in sanctification - perfecting holiness in the fear of God. That is true Christianity.
-What We Are Reaping Today-
Men and brethren, today the number of folks that make heaven on a daily basis is the fewest compared to all previous generations of believers.
These figures are often revealed in form of country by country churches. In some countries, an average of eight folks makes heaven out of a thousand deaths. The highest average is of a certain country where about a hundred or more per a thousand deaths make heaven. And this revelation only concerns those nations that we overtly describe as Christian nations.
So, if the righteous be scarcely saved, what becomes of unbelievers and of unbelieving nations? The answer is obvious and stares judgmentally at the faces of whosoever claims that our holy God has sent him or her to preach money and monetary matters as the gospel.
-The Way Forward-
Brethren, the present church is by all means not ready for rapture. That is the conclusion of the Holy Ghost, not mine. I wish it were otherwise.
Yet our God is not a respecter of dispensations. Nobody or group can hold Him to ransom. He will finish the work He has started, and He will cut it short in true righteousness and in holiness.
The Holy Ghost here announces: that a shift is already on the way. Our God, the holy One of Israel, the Creator of the ends of the earth, the Alpha and the Omega, the everlasting Father, is on the move again. A revival is on the way. Is it the last? Only God Him can tell.
The God of Abraham, the God of Jacob, the God of Isaac, my God and your God, is now pouring down His power and His glory on those He has ordained to fulfill His perfect will on earth. And you may be one of them.
People of God, the days, months and years ahead, would witness a global awakening to the true gospel. The power of salvation would come upon humanity as never before, even beyond what we witnessed in the very Acts of the Apostles. Note it in your diaries.
Our heavenly Daddy has released His power to save even to the uttermost: to the extent that even the hardest of folks would crumble at the feet of our Lord Jesus Christ. Billions of folks around the world would willfully forsake religion and seek after Christ. It will happen in our very eyes.
The glory of the coming days would far exceed whatever we have ever read or experienced. And it is not about building this or building that. It is all about soul winning - massive soul winning, surpassing all precedents. And those times are already here with us. I lie not.
We are fast approaching the hour when the body of Christ will rise again, joyfully and gloriously, and continually, rendering this song: “The Church is marching on…the gates of hell shall not prevail, the church is marching on…”, even with renewed boldness and grace.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that brings salvation abide with all who love Him and His appearing. In Jesus mighty name I pray. Amen.
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