The Christian antidote against sleeping—that is, being spiritually idle and near death, is to watch and be sober at all times. How? It is by rejoicing always in the Lord.
How do we rejoice always in Him? It’s being spiritually minded Rom 8:6. How do we do that? It’s by thinking or looking to Jesus always Heb 12:2.
How can we look to Jesus Christ always?
It’s by meditating on His nature that is in us 2 Pet 1:3. This is the reason, He has given us great and precious promises so that, we might participate in His nature in us 2 Pet 1:5-7, Phil 4:8. The same joy that was set before Christ which helped Him endure all things and pleased His Father is the same joy set before us Rom 8:17.
Now, Christ is glorified and seated at God’s right hand and we, in Christ, are seated in glory–what an unstoppable joy! Joy flowing down from heaven and reaching back to heaven! A supernatural joy!
The Philippine Church was rich in love, prayer and eagerness for the advancement of the gospel. Their love for Jesus went beyond theory to them actually giving from their resources for the gospel of Christ their Saviour. But, it appeared they lacked discernment of the advantage of rejoicing always in the Lord. Their rejoicing was intermittent and as such, they flagged when they faced opposition from those that troubled them.
Therefore, Paul exhorted them thus; “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice”. Phil 4:4.
Of what advantage was “rejoice (or be glad) in the Lord always” to them, in the face of their troubles and for us today? The answer is vital for the Church upon whom the end of time have come. The knowledge that the things which happened to Israel (the people of God of old), are the same things the Church (new creations in Christ) are facing today is crucial.
We have to walk a path (His way) we have not known before just like the Israelites of old.
Many times, they were overwhelmed, deviated from the One leading them in the journey and neglected good friendship with the compass (Torah) given to them by God. This made them carnal minded people rather than God minded people. For these reasons, they had seasonal joy.
Because they didn’t persist in the joy of their God, they were immensely weakened and their lives were threatened individually and corporately. No strength was left in them to face their enemy who instigated other nations against them.
Given the individual and corporate loss of joy and the attacks on them, they could hardly remember one another’s needs (physical and spiritual well being) since each one focused on his or her survival. With their joy gone, physicalism took them over.
But, God in His love for them as always, brought His word through Nehemiah, Ezra the priest and scribe and the Levites—“The joy of the Lord is your strength” Neh 8:10. His word delivered their minds from the bondage of physicalism. As a compass, His word encouraged them to walk the path to their destination (destiny) which far exceeded matter. This flooded them again with light.
Paul’s exhortation to the Philippians, “rejoice in the Lord always” is doubtless, birthed by his experience and knowledge from the Old Testament that, joy or rejoicing in God gives strength to His people. Rejoicing always, always infuses God’s kind of strength to His people. The Philippine Church needed it and, the end time Church needs it even more.
Meditate on this: the joy of the Lord is our strength individually and corporately. While many of us who are in Christ and in different gatherings of His people know that prayer is a source of strength, few are aware of the enormous strength joy generates in us.
Paul, speaking to the Philippine saints said, “Always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy” Phil 1:4. Earlier, he had exhorted them to “rejoice always in the Lord” and as if to emphasize its importance, he repeated it in the same sentence, “again I will say rejoice”.
To rejoice, we must hold Christ dear in our hearts with all He has done for us.
And of a necessity, we need to grow in grace and obedience to Him while relentlessly wrestling against sin which attempts to make mockery of Christ’s work in us. We should not be like the hypocrites who battle outward sins in others but neglect the sins in their own hearts.
How do we wrestle against sin and glorify Christ in our own hearts? By casting down sinful thoughts that come through the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. When we fail to cast-down wrong thoughts, they make us submit to them, enslave us and act as our master rather than Christ our new Master 2 Cor 10:5 KJV, Rom 12:2.
What happens when we fail to arrest sinful thoughts—give in to sin and are enslaved? Well, that brings us back to rejoice in the Lord which leads to repentance.
Even in a bad spiritual state, still rejoice in Him—in His ever abiding presence to deliver and save from the miry clay and to set you and I on Him, the Rock of Holiness, righteousness and salvation!
Remember, the instruction is for us to rejoice always! It is in the failing to rejoice and yielding to guilt, shame, hypocrisy, denial and covering of sin that we completely lose strength. This could lead us to give in to “living in sin“— anabomination that causes desolation in our lives and our gatherings.
Nothing that stands in opposition to God and us His people, can defeat us if we will only rejoice in Him as He is rejoicing over us Isa 62:5.
We are more than conquers through Christ Jesus—the Lord who lives in us Phil 4:13. Therefore, rejoice then in Him and again I will say, rejoice always! For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
In conclusion, be reminded you are to rejoice in the Lord always as an individual.
This is the patterned order—find your rejoicing in the Lord not in Christian communities. Then, take your joy in Him and join with others who’re rejoicing in Him. The result will be fellowship with God, His Christ and one another in the power of the Holy Spirit 1 John 1:3. This is real Church—the bride of Christ Jesus.
May His grace and peace lead you to abound in joy in the Holy Spirit. Amen
The Church came about by one baptism, one faith, one Lord and one hope. It is another way of saying that God has already given the body of Christ unity and peace Eph 4:4-5.
Everyone who is in Christ is in unity with His body and having God’s kind of peace (John 14:27) in him or herself. This unity and peace is maintained or lived out by the individual parts daily by submitting to Christ who is the Head of His body. But, if we choose to rather submit to self, we will be resisting the God of love and peace 2 Cor 13:11. And, by resisting Him, we invite the devil automatically to come in with all manner of his evils because he is the master of the flesh or self James 3:16.
All of the nature of Christ promotes unity and peace. His heart of love, mercy and grace made him humbly submit to His father’s will.
Without a new heart and mind (the heart and mind of Christ), death reigns. Unity and peace becomes a mirage. This is why God’s word to His prophets has been, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” Heb 10:16. This is the covenant of regeneration and sanctification. A new creation covenant!
New creations in Christ are a people of love, mercy and grace—that is the gospel. The gospel transcends the beauty of understanding who Christ is to actually participating in His nature. It is by participating in Christ’s nature that the Church stands in unity and peace.
Two people with the same understanding of Christ can fail to stand in unity and peace if they fail to submit to Him. For example, two Christians can disagree over a matter and go their separate ways. Then, Christ instructs them not to slander each other privately or publicly but if both or one refuse(s) to obey or submit to Him, they then break their spiritual unity and peace and defile others.
From the above example, it is clear that the disagreement is not the cause of the disunity and lack of peace but the disobedience to Christ.
Praise Worthy Example
The incident with Paul and Barnabas was written down for our example. It was not published then as a way of resolving their disagreement. They did not slander each other to gain support to themselves though their variance was so sharp to warrant them walking with Christ separately. However, they submitted to Christ and did not break their unity and peace through speaking evil of each other. Therefore, when the Holy Spirit prompted Paul to ask Barnabas to send John Mark for the work of Christ, Paul obeyed, Barnabas obeyed and Mark refused not the work of Christ on account of Paul’s previous opinion of him. This beauty of submitting to Christ is impossible without God’s amazing grace (power).
For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace John 1:16.
Love, mercy and grace demand we relentlessly help one another grow in our understanding of Christ (Truth) and to correct one another’s misunderstanding of Him since we all don’t arrive at His proper knowledge at the same time. However, in doing so, if we permit selfish ambition, His purpose to bring us all to the unity of the faith and of His knowledge and stature will be defeated.
So then, let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual up-building Rom 14:19. How is this accomplished? The Spirit of God gives us the answer in Rom 12: 1-2. We are to submit our soul (emotion, desire, will etc) to His. A people not willing to do so will be charged with breaking the covenant of life and peace Mal 2:5-7.
Those who are in Christ have one commandment which they MUST keep and it is this; Submit to God and resist the devil. This is how to love God and others. Submit to God, He loves it and rewards it. Submit to others, everyone loves it and appreciates it. Resist the devil on behalf of others by not submitting to do to others what he wants. This is love!
Do not retaliate evil with evil but with good. By this, evil will continue to be distinct and reserved for punishment while, good will continue to bring unity, peace and praise to God Matt 5:16.
It is only in submitting to the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus) that we please one another in a godly way. Pleasing one another outside of submitting to Him is compromise that earns us earthly union and peace which is temporal.
God’s desire is for the Church to maintain the unity and peace that follows her into eternity. Brothers and sisters in Christ, husbands and wives, friends etc, God wants us to be eager to maintain the Unity of the spirit in the bond of peace Eph 4:3.
Therefore, you and I are daily being prompted by the Holy Spirit to walk in accordance to that unity by which we’re baptized into Christ. By His grace, we bear with one another in love by walking in humility, gentleness and patience towards all men Eph 4:2.
You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, and God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God—who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light 1 Pet 2:9NLT.
The five gifts in Eph 4:11 and those in 1 Cor 12:8-10 & 28 is the person of Christ. 1 Cor 12:4-5 authenticated it by saying, “But the same Spirit”–that is, “the same Lord”. Those who bear the gifts are not the gifts. In verse 7 of 1 Cor 12, the gifts are described as a manifestation of the Spirit (Christ’ life) that bless His body.
The names apostle, prophet, teacher, evangelist and shepherd are descriptive of how the grace of Christ is dense and shaped in the bearers. It’s like saying, “we have Christ but, we’re not Him”.
Rev 21:14 brings a depth of clarity on this meditation. Note what it says, “The foundations of the wall of the city had “names” of the twelve Apostles”. The people bearing the apostleship gift had their own names which were different from the word apostle (an operation of CHRIST IN them). In Rev 21:19-20, we’re given the names of the twelve people bearing the “apostleship of the Lamb” but surprisingly, the names differed from their names in the gospels. They were now called different precious stones. Why?
Well, among other reasons, the gifts are meant to refine and polish the bearers and others Rom 1:5-6—and, in revelation, He (the gift) accomplished the purpose in those that had the gifts.
The difference between the five equipping ministry and the rest of the spiritual gifts lies with their density, functioning and objective as opposed to the personality and influence of the persons bearing the gifts (not titles).
When we read in Acts that apostles, prophets and teachers were sent by the Church to minister—serve (more specifically equip) other saints assembling in different locations, it is simply saying that the grace of God recognized in those brothers will help in the other locations. Not that their personalities, influence, strategy, eloquence, skill etc. were needed. When the 21st century Church wakes up to this truth, we will stop seeing the bearers of the gifts as special or extraordinary. It is the gifts (Christ) that is extraordinarily flowing out from the vessels (gift bearers) like water flows out from a tap.
When we stop our misconceptions about the bearers of these gifts then, we will stop our wrong thinking that the gifts have ceased. These gifts is Christ operating through the Holy Spirit in weak mortals 2 Cor 4:7. By accepting these gifts, we accept for Christ to EQUIP His body as God has ordained. God will equip His body in no other way! It is the same Spirit of Christ that manifested as apostolic, prophetic, teaching, shepherd, evangelist and the other gifts in the lives of believers in the early Church that is still in the Church today. Christ (the gifts) has not ceased!
The philosophy of educated folks with huge influence that sneaked into the gathering of God’s people in the past centuries created misunderstanding of the gifts. Those folks were bent on exerting their influence on the churches to determine how the gathering of saints should operate. They assumed they understood man’s problem and evolving cultural needs better than Christ. They viewed Christ’s commands as archaic. Hence, propound that the churches should move and adapt to the decaying world rather than keep in step with the Holy Spirit.
The promotion that we should gyrate in the spirit but ignore to walk in and with the Holy Spirit is preposterous.
The world system which the churches has practised for a long time as wrongly proposed to her during the course of her history has become the norm in our 21st century church life. Now, God is sweeping away the refuge of lies that has held the churches in spiritual slavery. But, the grand children of those who propounded those evil theologies are throwing their carnal weight (called influence) to intimidate the vessels God is flowing through to ground Babylon (iniquitous religious strong empire). None dare to fight against her with carnal weapons Mark 3:27, Luke 11:22, 2 Cor 10:4.
It is no surprise! Jesus and His disciples suffered the same fate in the hands of the godless spiritual leaders of their day.
If you believe you’re gifted with any of the equipping ministries, then ask yourself this question: Have I genuinely recognized that the gift is Christ’s operation in me, therefore, I am not the gift? If your answer is yes, then ask yourself why you still insist on wearing His operation in you as your designation, title e.g., Pastor—, Evangelist—, Prophet— teacher.
Other stylish names exist e.g., Founder, primate, presiding bishop, general overseer, Reverend, His holiness, Executive/Senior/Junior Pastor (Pastor-Teacher or Preaching Pastor) and more subtle ones like lead elder (first among equals), mentor, life coach etc.
Mainly, the reason Christ is being resisted from operating in His dimensions of apostle, prophet, teacher, evangelist and shepherd among His people is the way the persons He wants to work through have claimed entitlement to His operations (gifts). It’s their vision—they are the visionaries! These people as part of His body are not letting His body to see Christ. All that is being seen is, “Teacher— Apostle— Prophet— Evangelist — Pastor so and so, with all of their personalities or influence (created through crafty religious politicking).
Their influence is not giving the Holy Spirit a chance to reveal Christ to and lead God’s people. This accounts for the shallowness and immaturity of majority of us Christians. After many years and decades of being born again, we remain babies who must wear Christian badges, titles, belong to “a happening” denomination and use the bible for fencing to convince the world we’re of Christ. Selah!
Bible language
Maybe, it’s the bible language that is confusing those with these gifts (which calls to question if they truly have it). For example, in 1 Cor 9:1-2, Paul said, “Am I not an apostle”. Some hold to that and say, “You see Paul called himself an apostle”. Yes! But, he was referring to the fact the gift of apostleship operated in his life. Again, he said, “If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you,” but please note, he finishes that sentence by saying, “the mark of my apostleship is seen in you”. The end of the sentence clarified what Paul was actually saying to them. He was saying the fact that Christ operated in him as an apostle was established by the foundation Christ has built in them through flowing out from him (Paul).
Let’s keep reminding ourselves that every Christian has the Spirit of Christ. That means, all, do have all of the gifts in Him. But, Christ chooses in the dimension He wants to serve through us. We all do not serve from the standpoint of all of the gifts 1 Cor 12:29-30.
It is important to mention that, both the equipping gifts and the other gifts can’t be trained for—that is why they are gifts. While, by laying on of hands, one believer can pass on the spiritual gift(s) to another believer, the equipping gifts of Eph 4:11 can’t. Today, we have many Christians with Eph 4:11 gifts but, the misconceptions about these gifts in the churches is hindering their recognition and benefit to us all.
Sober Reflection for those who believe they have Eph 4:11gifts:
Those who were mentioned in the scriptures as having equipping gifts had a growing lifestyle (In holiness, righteousness, patience, prayers, mercy, endurance, boldness, humility, suffering, power, wisdom, love, knowledge of Christ and grace—etc) even in the face of fiercest battles or troubles. It’s the mark of Christ! When they were pressed beyond their measure, they did not crumble—rather, they grew stronger! Saleh! They knew the demarcation between the Spirit and themselves. They knew how to rely increasingly on the grace (power) of the Holy Spirit for the renewing of their inner self (soul) while their “flesh” (the outer man) was wasting away daily 2 Cor 4:16, Rom 12:1-2.
Those truly with the equipping gifts (known as the fivefold ministry), win Satan and his cohorts through the nature of God worked in them. Their much study of the scriptures, fasting and prayers is to this end—that Christ might increase in them and also, be formed in those they serve! 1 Tim 4:16.
To claim to be born again while one is not, is to put a burden on oneself that one will never be able to bear. To be lured into this mistake, is to be set up to join a special kind of sinners labeled hypocrites (religious bad men). As put by C.S. Lewis, “of all the bad men religious bad men are the worst”. To them are reserved the gloom of utter darkness 2 Pet 2:17, Jude 1:13NLT, 1-23.
Eph 2:8-9, tells a deep story in a simple way. The gift is not to be claimed, it is to be received! If a gift is being distributed and you have not received yours, go to the giver and ask to receive—but, if you shout out you have received when you have not, you’re setting up yourself to be by-passed.
Every gift has responsibility that goes with it. The responsibility is to love the giver and be prepared to be a giver too. Those that receive gifts are empowered to give. The gift of salvation requires the receiver to give his or herself soul to the giver (God). This is the burden of the Lord. No sinner can bear the burden of taking the yoke of the Lord Matt 11:29. Let’s understand this mystery. The Lord’s yoke is His desire for the soul of man. He gave us Christ because He wants our souls. Every spiritual matter that must be manifest on earth passes through the human soul Rom 12:1-2.
Born again—that is, regeneration of the human heart or spirit is a gift. A powerful gift! This gift is not an event—it is a Person, it is Christ making His own self present in the heart. It is Him making the heart godly. The human heart that is stony becomes fleshy Ezekiel 11:19. It is a miracle—an unequalled miracle into the redemption journey. A journeying into the full status of the image of the redeemer (Christ Jesus)!
This gift of redemption when accepted, places the arsenal of God at ones disposal whether the receiver recognizes it or not. It is given because the redemption journey is fraught with unimaginable battles—battles that mere men can’t bear nor win Rev 3:5, 12, Zech 4:6. Battles which even the most decorated army general that have ever lived or will ever live can’t stand.
The weapons needed for these battles can’t be made with human hands and is a daily battle Matt 6:34. The weapons that win this battles are those tried seven times in the furnace of fire (a kind unknown to man) Ps 12:6, Eph 6:11, 13. Good intentions are no weapons for this pilgrim journey. Peter’s good intention of not wanting to hear that Jesus will die Matt 16:21-23 and, cutting off a guard’s ears was declared a carnal weapon with no eternal benefit Matt 26:51-52. Over-comers are those who yield to the Spirit of Christ that works within them Col 1:29. It is the hope of glory!
The Canaan the redeemed are journeying to is not earthly but heavenly Heb 11:10. For the prize of this heavenly home, those called are empowered, given a single vision and a fountain full of Immanuel’s blood and angelic protection. If you’re born again, you’re given these privileges even if you’re not yet aware Matt 6:22.
The apostolic, prophetic and teaching dimensions of Christ are laid upon some parts of His body to expose these privileges to His Church (Those who have received the gift of salvation or redemption).
It is preposterous to claim you’re in the military while you’re not. The Cross that enrolls civilians (sinners) is standing in front of you right now where you are. Receive Him! Titus 2:11, John 3:16, Rom 10:10.
Dear friend, this is the love of God—that is, the gift of redemption (Christ Jesus). All who receive Him become soldiers—when they are not in battle front, they are in training not engaging in civilian affairs 2 Tim 2:4. When they are no more present on earth, they are on vacation that last for eternity. Indeed, RIP. They Rest In Peace—in the bosom of the Prince of Peace. Peace (God’s kind) which they had only a measure of while on earth 1 John 3:2, 1 Cor 13:12, 1 John 3:3.
May the Godof hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. May the Godofpeace be with you all. Amen. Rom 15:13, 33.
Jude 1:24-25, Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
The Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules. But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.” (John 5:16-17 NLT)
A true knowledge of the Lord Jesus will reverse a good many of our ideas, and a good many of our procedures. A true knowledge of Christ and union with Christ, with all that that means, will make us go to work in entirely the opposite way from that in which we have been accustomed to go. We shall come to be governed by this one consideration, that it is not what we would do for the Lord, but what the Lord would do through us, that is alone to rule. It is a very testing way. You can hardly believe, unless you have been the same way, how often and intensely and bitterly the enemy fights and tempts you to come down on to a lower position, and to take up things again for God and launch big schemes, enter upon big undertakings, set up some thing on the earth that can be seen, because all those who are governed by that standard of things seen have said: “You see, you are doing nothing! Show us what you are doing! You cannot show us anything for it all!” Satan does work on that line. To the flesh that is not easy. To go on with God and have nothing to show for it, never to be able to have the work written up in the papers, to publish no reports, nor statistics, and yet to know in your heart of hearts that, although it is hidden, something is going on, and that you cannot do otherwise than you are doing, is far from being a path of ease to the flesh.
It is a testing way, but, blessed be God, if we do endure the testing and go on patiently with Him, in His time, when that flesh has been finally laid low; when the voice of natural ambition is no longer sounding and having influence, and we are now utterly at the place where if things are not going to be of the Lord then there is not going to be anything at all, the Lord has a free way, and He is able to indicate that all the time something has been going on. He shows how He has been at work, and how that in time there will be manifested a work of God, a work that shall have such a large percentage of spiritual value and meaning in it that you are very glad, after all, that you walked with God and not with men in the work of God.
