As a great downpour begins with solemn gathering of clouds, so it was with the exhaustive prayer session experienced at the fellowship last Sunday.
It began with a few comments made by some brethren on challenges to spiritual growth. In other words, attitudes often spurred by desires or lust of the flesh; on-the-job situations that pre-dispose people into lying; tendencies to pitching tent with the majority or siding with popular opinion even when the Spirit of God nudges one to go the other way etcetera.
In clear demonstration of the biblical injunction that “one shall put to flight a thousand, and two ten thousands” the brethren held one another and launched out into an intensive and combative prayer session. From the low to the medium and then high “tempo”, it was easily discernible that participants in this intercessory warfare were resolved and united in seeking God’s help to rid them of anything that could hinder “His Spirit” from gaining full and absolute control of each person’s members.
Preceded by scripturally enriched counsel, the session grew in intensity, cohesion and impact more so, being interlaced with songs of repentance, profession and declaration (of faith, followership and commitment). One of such songs was:
“You came from heaven to earth
To show the way from the earth
To the cross our debt you paid
From the cross to the grave
From the grave to the throne
Lord we lift your name on high”
Another song worthy of mention was one usually not taken at common events but on rare or special (solemn) moments such as this.
“Take me in to the holy of holies
Take me in by the blood of the Lamb
Take me in to the holy of holies
Take your coal, touch my lips
Here I am”
The significance of this solemn song is actually, largely in its contents. It reveals the ultimate desire of God for man- that man may dwell in the Most Holy Place (holy of holies) forever. The Most Holy is the third, innermost and last part of the tabernacle which God showed to Moses and commanded him to build for the nation of Isreal (Exodus 19). It has three parts- the outer court, the holy place and the most holy. Each represents both a position of communing with God and progression in Him. This also indicates that man must be redeemed completely from sin in his three compartments- the body, the soul and the spirit.
Genesis chapter 30, verses 19 and 20 “and Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son. And Leah said, God had endued me with a good dowry, now will my husband dwell with me because I have born him six sons; and she called his name “Zebulum”. Thus, the meaning of the name- Zebulun- formed the nucleus of the final layer of intercession. ‘God let my heart be your dwelling place forever’.
Exhortation followed immediately with Brother Shola Oluwashina harping on the need for brethren to rely wholly on the leadership of the Holy Spirit on day to day activities. ‘A life led by the Holy Spirit is one who overcomes all hurdles’ noting that it was expedient for believers in Christ at this time to yield all to the Lord, making our heart His sanctuary evermore.
“There are goats on the loose” declared Brother Wole Olakunle, Pastor, Church of the First Born (The Third Temple) as he opened the message of the day. The nature of goat (stubbornness) was the nature of sin as depicted by God in Leviticus Chapter 16, observed Pastor Olakunle noting that the airwave presently were being dominated by revelation of sinful conduct. That it was becoming commonplace for people to publicly relish over acts of immorality committed by them as if such acts were what should be emulated. He lamented over an emerging trend where church leaders no longer frown at ungodly conduct among believers, a development he viewed as being dangerous and cantankerous.
A lot of churches, he pointed out were currently spiritually desolate. Spiritual desolation occurs when the spirit of God departs from a person, group or a nation. According to the scripture, desolation is usually preceded by series of warning from God to caution the people or their leaders against abominable conduct and lifestyle.
In desperate bid to attract large number of attendants or retain same, a lot of church leaders compromise biblical standard, tame their messages and pamper moral ineptitude. Little or no regard for the presence, let alone the ruler-ship of the Spirit of God both in the lives of individuals and the church as a body was beginning to gain ground. These, among others were spoken of by Christ Jesus as part of the signs of the end of the age. Matthew 24:3 “And as He sat upon the Mount Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying tell us when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”.
Verse 15 “When ye, therefore, shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, standing in the Holy Place (whoever readeth let him understand). Verse 16 “Then let them which be in Judea flee unto the mountains”. Abomination of desolation was being experienced now as part of the signals of the close of the age, observed Pastor Olakunle, who noted also that “the life of God ceases in a man, once the Holy Spirit departs from the temple”.
One of the reasons the Holy Spirit was given was to convict us of sin, the pastor maintained, adding the “goatish” nature in man could be removed permanently only by the “fit man” as denoted in the book of Leviticus 16:21-23 “And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Isreal and all their transgressions in all their sins “putting them upon the head of the goat and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness.”
“And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.” Pastor Olakunle explained that the ‘Holy Spirit represents the “Fit Man” in our days and that as He (Holy Spirit) convicts us and we yield to His correction and instructions, our nature would experience transformation from “the old” to “the new”, the sinful to the holy or the divine.
Acts of sin proceed always from the nature of sin. In John 8:1-8, some Isrealites including teachers of the law of Moses, each armed with stones, brought before Christ, a woman caught in adultery, and sought His view or judgment concerning the adulterer.
And Christ said anyone among them without sin should cast the first stone and none of the accusers could. Pastor Olakunle said the people were convicted of the nature of sin, noting however, that the danger of it all was for any believer to lose the influence or ruler-ship of the Holy Spirit. Anyone in spiritual desolation would no longer “smell or perceive” or disdain sinful thought, conduct and lifestyle.
All said and done a refreshing air of rejuvenation pervaded the atmosphere of the fellowship as brethren were strengthened in faith, resolve, Spirit and in the love of Christ. (see you next Sunday).
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