“David did not win any of his battle because he was a professional; he won because he was prophetical. My greatest desire is to understand the mind of God per time”
“Don't be ridiculous!” Saul replied, “There's no way you
can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You're only a boy, and he's been a
man of war since his youth ………” “I can't go in these,” (Saul armor of war) he
protest to Saul. “I'm not used to them” so David took off again.
1 Samuel 17:33&39b).
The church of Jesus Christ is absolutely different from
religious assemblies in identity, structure and potency because of the process
it had to go through. We shall consider the nature of these processes one after
the other.
I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH II
In the past chapters, we tried to define the true meaning
of the word Church and its origin. We
came to a conclusion that the original Greek meaning of church is Ekklesia,
which by interpretation means “assembly” or “called out.” We also looked at
other types of assemblies that were called out for other purpose. We compared
different assemblies and their features and we did also checked the principles
behind Jesus' declaration, “I will build my church.
At this juncture, we will be making use of the words
“assembly” or “called out” interchangeably in place of the word “Church” as the
case may be.
In the history of the world, before Jesus declared his
own concept of Church, the phrase “Building Church” had never being used. Don't
forget that the word “church” had been before Christ but those ones came to be
by democracy and other systems of government inaugurated by law, not by
building. Jesus' declaration of building His own church was a strange language
in those days. This was because the church he proposed to build was a living
one, comprising of people (I Corinthians 13:9). It does not make much sense to say
you are going to build human beings. Jesus' movement also came with other terms and new waves
of frequency which the existing
assemblies and the world even couldn't decode. The gap between Jesus mindset
(technologies) and others was far beyond the difference between Analogue and
Digital operations.
The concept of Church from Jesus' point of view negates
the popular view of the world. For instance, in John 2: 17-20, the Jewish
leaders, demanded from him the sign and evidence that his authority was from God.
He replied, “Alright, destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up”
verse 17. “What!” they exclaimed. “It took forty-sixty years to build this
temple, and how can you rebuild it in three days?” But when Jesus said “This
temple,” he was actually referring to his own body (Verse 19-21). Of course we
may not be able to blame these leaders,
because to them the
temple was just a physical building that
men labour to
construct. In their
own understanding, it had nothing to do with humans, but where people
only gather to worship.
THE GREAT SHIFT
Whenever there is a new move of God on earth, what it
implies is that there has been a shift in the spirit. It means that the status
quo is no more the same and a brand new technology has been introduced to take
the kingdom of God to the next level. And anytime this happens, we will begin
to see God raising pioneers of this new move declaring God's message for the
time as the Spirit grants them utterance. Secondly, deeper revelations will begin
to enter into the hearts of men through the Holy Spirit. We saw an example in
the book of Acts, on the day of Pentecost. Another reality is that Jesus'
language and expressions defied the rules of the language of His time. This is
why it will be very difficult for a rigid man to move or shift with the move of
God. When Jesus began to introduce the message of the kingdom, the Pharisees,
who had been beneficiaries of old pattern, saw the new move as a threat to
their own personal agenda. They found it difficult to accept His message
because they thought it could make their own religion of no effect, taking the
attention of the people from them and fixing it on God and the kingdom.
Register this in your mind today that the move of God is
not stagnant. God is dynamic. He is taking the church from one level of glory
to another and He will not stop until the church gets to the final destination.
Finishing strong goes beyond being consistent with the things you started many
years ago. It is not compulsory that you continue with the same pattern or
style. David always inquired from God at all times; he did not base his walk
with God on experience. It is too dangerous to get used to God's ways and style
because you might end up being where He used to be and not where He is. As long
as shifting continues in the spirit, God is still building and He will not stop
until we finally get to our destination- where we will not be different from
Jesus Christ any longer.
BUILDING ON THE ROCK (The Platform)
A builder considers two major things while planning to
build. Firstly, he considers the kind of structure he wants to build and secondly, he determines the kind of soil texture that
will be suitable for the structure he wants to build. Sometimes, many tests
will be carried out to identify the soil type and the solidity of the ground in
order to determine the kind of structure that should be on it. Jesus was very
wise to have considered building on the rock. He said. “Upon this rock I will
build my church, and the power of hell will not conquer it.
”In ancient times, the mountains were used by men for
refuge whenever there was war. Those
cities that were also built on the hills usually found it easier to launch
attacks faster and better because they can easily see their enemies coming form
a far. This explains why it is safer to build on the rock than on the sand.
Hear what David says:
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my Saviour. My God
is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield”, the power that saves
me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my Saviour, the one who saves me
from violence.” 2 Samuel 22:3
Beloved, can you see the understanding and the revelation
that made David stand out in his time? Can you now see why God called him a man
after His own heart? He said, “The Lord is my fortress and my mighty rock where
I hide.” This was the song David sang to the Lord on the day he was delivered
from his enemies and from Saul. Jesus was very emphatic when He said that the
gates of hell (the total conclusion, decision and delusion from the kingdom of
darkness) will not pollute or render the church He would build on the rock
powerless. This implies that there can never be a true church without constant
revelation from God. When there is no constant revelation, the church will just
be like every other organization, having wonderful structures and following
after protocols. It doesn't matter how many thousands of people a church has
been able draw to itself, if it is not founded on the rock, which is
revelation, it will fall.
Revelation brings light and refreshing to man. Without
revelation, there will be dryness. When a man jumps out of God's revelation, he
will begin to quote statistics, psychology and information that strengthen the
soul and weaken the spirit. Your spirit can only receive life through
revelation. When a man is void of revelation (a prophetic direction and
instruction) from God, it is just a function of time; the gates of hell will
conquer what he is building.
On two occasions God asked Moses to go to the rock with
the elders of the children of Israel to bring water out of it. The first time,
He asked Moses to smite the rock but the second time, He asked him to speak to
it (Exodus 17:1-7, Numbers 20:2-3). God
wanted the elders to recognize Him as their source; that was why He didn't want
Moses to use the same method twice. He did not want the children of Israel to
idolize the rod of Moses that brought
out water from the rock. Already, God was gradually taking the Israelite on a
journey through which he would gradually knock out the system of Egypt that was
already a part of them. God could not
continue with Moses because he was too compassionate to get things done for Him.
Moses began to lose the details that mattered to God; he could no longer
understand that things had been shifted in the spirit, and it was the same zeal
led to his death. Today, the major reason why many people get written off by
heaven is that they do understand the present move of God. Though it may seem
like they are still “pulling waves,” it is a function of time you will get to
know that they have been obsolete or expired for so long. What you see as
“revelation” is nothing but stale news as far as heaven is concerned. We need
to be like the men of Isaachar who understood the times and seasons. (1
Chronicles 12:32)
The Israelites always got refreshed whenever they drank
water from the rock. You may wonder why they drank from no other source except
a rock. You may also wonder why He decided to make it happen in the presence of
the elders. There is an adage that says, “A stream or river that forgets its
source will soon dry up.” “The Rock” is the source of revelation which is the
only antidote for dryness. This proves to us that the slogan, “experience is
the best teacher” is only the thought of a carnal mind. If experience is the
best teacher Saul, with all his expertise in the art of warfare, would have
easily defeated Goliath. The Bible tells
us that it is the Holy Spirit who will teach us all things. Everything excludes
nothing. Experience may handle newness of things or innovations but it is only
the Holy Spirit that can give you an idea that will change the course of your life, business, marriage, career and
ministry. (John 14:26)
God spoke to me at a time and I heard it so clearly. He
said, “Son, if only you will continue to let your life be guided by revelation,
you will soon become a global success; it is only a function of time. Revelation from God will not always be
something popular but the truth is that it always stands the test of time and
prevails in the end.
BUILDING WITH ROCK (THE STRUCTURE)
A rock can be defined as hard solid material that forms
part of the surface of the earth and other planets. They are made up of different shapes. There are three main types
of rock- volcanic, igneous and
sedimentary rocks. Stone is a smaller version of rock.
Jesus emphasis on “rock” did not end on the platform of
the church He proposed to build but also on the laying of the structure.
Earlier on, we defined “rock” as a revelation of God. This implies that Jesus cannot lay a
foundation on revelation and then build information or tradition on it. If that
should happen the gates of hell will definitely prevail. The thoughts of man's heart and imagination, which the bible
described to be evil, cannot be used to build the Church of God.
The fact remains that a house or structure can be built
with bricks or stones. The houses built with stones are more expensive,
durable, valuable, etc. than the structure with grass, wood or bricks. Stones typify the operations of the spirit
while bricks typify the flesh and carnality. The Bible describes the temple of
Solomon as being built with and repaired with stones, not bricks, grass or
wood.
“The complex was three stores high, the bottom floor
being 7½ feet wide, the rooms were connected to the walls of the temple by
beams resting on the edges built out from the wall. So the beams were not
inserted into the walls themselves. The stones used in the construction of the
temple finished at the quarry, so there was no sound of hammer, axe, or any
other iron tool at the building site.” 1 Kings 6:6-7
“Then they used the money for the construction Supervisions, which they used to pay the people working on the Lord's
temple the carpenters, the builders, the
masons, and the Stone cutter. They also used the money to buy the timber and
the finished stone needed for repairing the Lord's temple and they paid other
expenses related to the temple's restoration.” II King 12:11-12
Till date, the foundation of Solomon's temple can still be traced and
people usually travel to Jerusalem from all over the world to see it. That is
because it had a good foundation and the structure was made of solid stones.
The Bible refers to Jesus also as a stone.
David prophesied concerning Him saying, “The stone that the builder
rejected has now become the cornerstone.” (Psalm 118:22). Jesus himself quoted
exactly from the book of Psalm (see Matt. 22:42, mark 12:10). A corner stone is
not just any kind of stone, but a very strategic stone in a building, which if not properly placed, would result in the
entire structure collapsing.
Any structure that will have eternal value must be built
on the rock, which is revelation from God. Building on the rock entails
starting off with God, building with the right pattern and materials and
continuing in the same manner till the end. It is very possible for a man to
start working with God and still be faithful and consistent, even when fame,
money and financial stability come.
The Bible even shows us in II Kings
12:11-12 that even repairs of the temple of Solomon were only done with stones,
not bricks. Brick may be easier to work with and cheaper compared to stones,
but it does not have eternal value; it is a temporary material. The Bible says
our works shall be tested with fire. 1 Corinthians 3:13-15. Beloved, examine
yourself. Will your works remain or will they be consumed after being tested by
fire? We are all spirit being and God expects that everything concerning our
lives should be built on spiritual principles, not on popular opinion or things
we think are in vogue.
(To be continued)
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