PERFECTING THE CHURCH 2
(week 18/10)
OLUBI JOHNSON
In our article last week, we saw that God is perfecting His church, generally and in Nigeria in particular by removing the present ‘Saul’ leadership and replacing it with a ‘David’ leadership.
Tragically, only one-third of the church will submit to the new leadership, while two-thirds will have to be cut-off. Now, this does not necessarily mean they will go to hell, but they like Lot (Gen. 19:29) and the prodigal son (Lk. 15:11-32) may be saved but will suffer loss of eternal reward and destiny (1 Cor. 3:15). Some will die physically prematurely but still go to heaven (1 Cor. 5:5).
Zechariah 13:7-9 MKJV: Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and against the Man who is My companion, says Jehovah of Hosts; strike the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. And I will turn My hand on the little ones. (8) And it shall be in all the land, says Jehovah, two parts in it shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left in it. (9) And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on My name, and I will answer them; I will say, It is My people; and they shall say, Jehovah is my God.
The good news in this is that as the two-thirds are being cut off gradually over a time frame typified by David’s rule in Hebron for seven and half years; new people will be getting born-again into the church who will be totally submitted to the new ‘David’ leadership. So, the ‘house of Saul’ will get smaller and the ‘house of David’ will get larger and larger until all ‘Israel’ (the whole church) is totally submitted to the ‘David’ leadership fulfilling:
2 Samuel 5:4-5 MKJV: David was thirty years old when he began to reign. He reigned forty years. (5) In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.
2 Samuel 3:1 MKJV: And there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David became stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul became weaker and weaker.
Ephesians 4:13 MKJV: And this until we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full-grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
In the perfect Church, there will be a unity of the knowledge of the perfection and fullness in Christ: the 30-fold (Mk. 4:20) ‘Outer Court’ Christian will have a mental knowledge of this; the 60-fold ‘Holy Place’ Christian will have in addition revelation knowledge (2 Cor. 4:6) of this and finally the 100-fold ‘Most Holy Place’ Christian will in addition have experiential knowledge of the perfection and fullness of Christ.
The one-third, that are submitted to the ‘David’ leadership are further refined in the ‘fire of affliction’: by watching and praying during afflictions (Jam. 5:13) (by praying with all kinds of prayer in the Spirit (Eph. 6.18, 1 Tim. 2.1-4, Rom. 8.26)) and so overcoming them and causing God’s character of patience and love to be established in their wills, minds and emotions.
Romans 12:12 ESV: Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
James 1:2-4 AMP: Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations. (3) Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience. (4) But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.
Hebrews 6:12 MKJV: that you be not slothful, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Also, they perfect the love of God in and through them by the blood, the Word and the Spirit:
Hebrews 13:20-21 MKJV: Now may the God of peace (who brought again our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant) (21) make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
1 John 2:5 MKJV: But whoever keeps His Word, truly in this one the love of God is perfected. By this we know that we are in Him.
1 John 4:12-13 MKJV: No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and His love is perfected in us. (13) By this we know that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
Finally, they perfect obedience by watching and praying always:
Matthew 26:41 MKJV: Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Luke 21:36 KJV: Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Colossians 4:2 MKJV: Continue in prayer and watch in it with thanksgiving,
Jude 1:20-21 KJV: But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, (21) Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
These scriptures show us that if we watch: ‘see’ Him that in invisible always with thanksgiving and so pray frequently in the spirit, we will always have the spiritual wisdom and power to escape and overcome all temptations.
As we do this, we are keeping the law of life and love (1 Jn. 3:23) by the Spirit in our mouth day and night fulfilling:
Joshua 1:8 MKJV: This book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it by day and by night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall act wisely.
Romans 8:2 MKJV: But the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
Deuteronomy 30:14 MKJV: But the Word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may do it.
We do all this practically by
1. ‘Washing feet’ at least 4 times daily (Dt. 6:7; 11:19, 2 Sam. 6:13, Mk.13:35) praying a prayer like:
‘Father, I confess our sins, in Jesus Name we have life’ and then praying briefly but fervently in tongues.
2. Frequent asking for mercy to triumph throughout the day (make at least once every hour a goal (Mt. 24:42)) and frequent praying in tongues by the life received from the mercy of God praying a prayer like:
‘Father, please give me mercy to triumph always’ and then pray in tongues briefly but fervently.
2 Corinthians 2:14 MKJV: Now thanks be to God, who always causes us to triumph in Christ, and He revealing through us the odor of the knowledge of Him in every place.
