Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Non-Negotiable Counsels of God's Kingdom - Part 14

Dearly beloved,
My greatest daily concern is that I don’t want to realize in heaven (Matt.7:21/25:11-13), and learn in the world to come (Rev. 22-2-3), what God has made provision for in this day. Painfully, this would be the case for any believer who isn’t awake unto the daily revelations of righteousness (1Cor. 15:34/Rom. 1:17

Access to God’s domain of life (Jn. 7:34/12:26/14:3/1Jn. 1:3), which remains inaccessible to glorious angels like Gabriel or Michael can’t be negotiated. God’s terms remains that we LEAVE/MOVE (Heb. 6:1-2) from CALLING HIM LORD (which includes preaching, fasting, giving, evangelism, faith as corporately known today) to KNOWING HIS WILL (which starts after the eyes of our heart has been restored, we wait on the EPISTLES, so we can subsequently relate with the PARABLES OF JESUS) – Lk. 4:18e
I.        Blessed are they, whose hunger deficiency are being exposed and addressed right now.
    II.        Blessed are those who would overcome the curse (the former things/limitations highlighted in Rev. 21:4/22:3) that made Job, Solomon, Isaiah & Apostle James to compare man with trees, animals and grasses respectively. (Job 14:7-10/Eccl. 3:18-19/Isa. 40:6/Jam. 1:10).
   III.        Blessed are those who in the days ahead would only be comparable with Christ (1Jn. 3:2/Rev. 14:1/21:23)
Graceful Reading!
Non-Negotiable Counsels of God's Kingdom - Part 14
Scriptural reading: Matt. 25:1-13/14-30
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
All the parables of the Lord were not mere stories but realities in the spirit. In the parable of the ten virgins for instance, virginity refers to the spirit of man that was begotten through the operation of God’s faith (Col. 2:12b). When Adam sinned, all died (Rom. 5:19/Eph. 2:1); the spirit of man became the child of Satan (Jn. 8:44), but at new birth a new spirit is born (2Cor. 5:17). That spirit is a virgin because it has been raised with the same power that raised up the Lord Jesus and attained resurrection status.
There are two kinds of virgins according to this parable; the wise and the foolish and this is a prototype of the present day church. There are wise virgins (believers) and there are foolish virgins (believers). The wisdom of the spirit as communicated by the Lord has nothing to do with mental intelligence; it is determined by what we do with the word of the kingdom that comes to us. This is the acid test to know those who are wise and those who are foolish.
The coming of the Bridegroom (Christ) is the coming of the kingdom because He is the kingdom. He is called the Bridegroom because He knows how to groom the bride and make her fit for the kingdom. He has utensils, things, words and goods that He uses to prepare the bride for entrance. These ten virgins knew that the purpose of their being saved was to meet the Bridegroom. They knew this because the word of the kingdom was being communicated to them for their preparation.
Matt. 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him
Have you ever asked why the Lord likes coming at night? He testifies of in the epistles to the churches (1 Thess. 5:2,1Pet. 3:10), and mentioned it repeatedly in the book of Revelation (Rev.16:15/3:3). Night is when men are asleep. Such times are unguarded ‘hours’ when the heart is overcharged with surfeiting, men are drunken with the deception of riches and overtaken with worries (Luke 21:34). This drunkenness happens at night when the revelation of Christ isn’t heeded, hence men fall asleep. When revelation is not heeded, there will be darkness, and when there is darkness (night), men will sleep (1Thess. 5:7 Isa. 60:2, Rom. 5:20)
Lk. 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
The ten virgins knew that the Bridegroom’s coming would be in the night, but they did not know the exact time.  He comes when men are asleep because He is a very costly being. Those that will lay hold on Him must be found worthy of Him. He will not come according to the timing of man.
Some believers will be given eye salve to discern the advancement of darkness upon the earth and they will stay awake so that the day will not suddenly come upon them. These are the children of light (Eph. 5:8) that have been delivered from darkness through the revelation of Christ (1Thes.5:5-6/Acts 26:18). Beloved, there is need for us to understand that the Lord is close even as the earth is gradually coming into the night season.
Some of the virgins took oil with their lamps, but some did not (Matt. 25:3-4). The lamp signifies the soul. That is what the Psalmist calls ‘my darkness’ which he prayed that the Lord would enlighten (Ps. 18:28). The oil in the lamp is the amount of walk that has been generated by the activities of the holy unction (1Jn. 2:22&27). Every walk of obedience in the spirit grants you oil to continue in the son (1Jn. 2:24). The oil is the supply of grace for further walk and it lubricates our feet to reduce friction. The reason for the oil is that our walk in the spirit is a walk against the course of this world (Eph. 2:2). We need measurements of oil to generate a walk that is contrary to the walk of mere men.
Oil here refers to the oil of gladness which our Lord was anointed with (Ps. 45:7/Heb. 1:9). You cannot gain entrance into the kingdom without the oil of gladness. THE MORE WE WALK IN OBEDIENCE, THE MORE OIL WE ACCESS FOR ENTRANCE INTO THE KINGDOM. Christ is called the Anointed One because He is the one who has been anointed with that oil of gladness which consecrated Him as High priest forever. Satan hates that oil and fights it; that is why he sent the spirit of the antichrist (1Jn. 2:18). The oil of gladness is not the anointing to do miracles (Matt. 10:6-8) but for obedience (Rom. 1:5b/16:26d/Heb. 5:9b) and living (Heb. 12:9d). These are two different of anointing.
The oil of gladness is not poured on a soul except such has learnt to love righteousness and hate iniquity by obeying to the Anointed one. You may have anointing to heal the sick and raise the dead and yet you might not have that which would enable you disobey fallen spirits because it is a costly oil and this is what the church needs at this hour of gross darkness. The light we use at present cannot handle the darkness that is upon the earth now. The church is stuck because darkness has mutated. The church needs the light that saves (Ps. 27:1), the light of eternal life (Jn. 1:9a)
The ten virgins were waiting for the Bridegroom and during the period of waiting, they expended oil. The most difficult thing for man is to wait without the knowledge of how long the waiting process would last. Waiting is stressful for the flesh and flesh does not like it; but that is God’s way. He employs the process of waiting to trim the carnal nature so that when He comes, there is no flesh remaining. God will delay things and see who will keep their flesh or let go of their flesh. That is the time of selection. It is silently ongoing presently. When God is at work, you cannot really tell, but some are found wise by their understanding of the season while others are found foolish.
Those who were wise were the ones who were walking as they were hearing (the word of the kingdom). That walk was their extra oil which kept their lamps burning until the twelfth hour when the bridegroom came. Those hours of waiting and walking were crucial seasons in the spirit that prepares us for the ultimate arrival of the bridegroom. At the time when the Bridegroom arrived, the lamps of the five foolish virgins had gone out because they did not have enough oil to last while the Bridegroom tarried. They could not generate a walk that could keep the lamp burning, so their light went out. It is as we obey the things we hear that we buy oil for our feet. We should not just hear the word; we have to do something with what we are hearing (Jam. 1:22)
There was a cry at midnight, go ye and meet the Bridegroom. Midnight is a meeting point between two days – night and morning. Midnight is the period when darkness begins to lose its strength, light gradually breaks out and God separates light from darkness. At midnight it looks as if it is the darkest time, but it is actually the breaking of another day. At the coming of the Bridegroom, all ten virgins arose and trimmed their lamps (Matt. 25:7). The lamps of those who were not wise went out
The trimming and burning of their lamps was an indication that their souls were awake unto righteousness, but to reveal that the passion, desire and love of the foolish virgins had expired, their lamps went out before the bridegroom’s appearance. Because Iniquity hasn’t been overcome, the love of many would wax cold (Matt. 24:12, Rev. 3:16)
The period of darkness is a time when everything is shutdown and the weather is cold. It is like the winter period when all the trees are shedding their leaves. It is very easy to sleep at such time. When a soul sleeps, he gives up on God. Many have given up on God and coming to church has become a mere routine. Their fire has gone out, their oil has dried up, their love has waxed cold and they have lost their passion.
THE CONTINUOUS REVELATION OF CHRIST (1PET. 1:13) IS THE ONLY THING THAT CAN HELP US TO STAY AWAKE.  That is why God keeps speaking to us. He speaks of His anointed life and when we hear Him, we are awakened and we live. What comes out of His mouth is His anointed life and that is the oil of gladness. The virgins were able to collect oil in their lamps through the visitations of many voices. But there was one final voice that they were all waiting for after previous voices had come. If the oil received is not translated to a walk, we will not be able to receive the last voice.
The foolish virgins were seekers but not diligent seekers (Heb. 11:6). Their oil expired just when entrance was about being administered (2Pet. 1:11). They began to ask, Give us of your oil for our lamps have gone out, but the wise ones answered them, no lest there is not enough for us and for you, go to them that sell and buy (Matt. 25:8-9). They knew where oil was being sold but they did not take enough. The foolish virgins did not give full attention and diligence to what they were hearing so they were not able to get much oil out of the words that were being spoken to them.
THOSE WHO REALLY FIND GOD ARE NOT JUST THOSE WHO ARE SEEK HIM BUT THOSE WHO ARE DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM (Heb. 11:6). There are seekers and there are diligent seekers. Some virgins are wise – they are putting extra. It is good to seek, but the Lord’s requirement is diligent seeking. Diligent seeking (going the extra mile) is a principle in the kingdom. The world stole it but was originally propagated and enacted by Jesus Christ through His earthly walk (Matt.5:40-45).
The foolish ones went out to buy oil but at a time when the oil seller was no longer available because there is a time and season for everything (Eccl. 3:1). There are seasons when oil will be available and there are seasons when oil will be scarce. You must be very sensitive of these seasons. There is a corporate season that comes upon us and there are also seasons that come upon us individually. There are times you would seek Him but He will not be found (Isa. 55:6. There are specific seasons He makes Himself known. When He reveals Himself, take advantage of it and quickly get enough oil from Him, because the time will come when you will seek Him, even with tears, but you will not find Him (Heb.12:17).
Seasons are important. Even in your individual life, there are times the anointing will be so strong without much effort in prayer or study. When such season comes upon you, don’t take it for granted, quickly take advantage of it. If you dont, another season will not come. We can be so used to the things of God and miss God. Sometimes the reason why we do not find the Lord quickly is not that He is far; but because we did not take advantage of previous seasons when He came knocking. The foolish virgins did not take advantage of the seasons that came, but those who understood the importance of the anointed life quickly entered the kingdom before the ones that went to buy oil came.
The wise virgins entered and the foolish ones came and began to knock saying, open to us. For them to have called Him Lord means they were Christians; they called Him Lord but Jesus said It is not all that call Me Lord, Lord that shall ENTER THE KINGDOM but they that DO THE WILL OF MY FATHER (Matt.7:21, 25:11-13).
The second parable was about a man who took a journey to a far country and gave talents. To one, he gave five, to another, he gave two, and to the last one, he gave one and divided his goods. It is the same thing (Matt. 25:14-30). The goods of God which are His wealth are the words of the kingdom. That word is anointed; it has the oil of gladness inside.
There is an initial oil that comes upon us when we gather for meetings and Jesus speaks to us, and then there is another you get in your closet. WHAT YOU SHOULD DO WITH THE OIL YOU GET IN A MEETING IS TO ENTER YOUR CLOSET AND TRADE WITH IT. Your closet is the inward tabernacle where you commune with God, not necessarily pray. YOU TRADE WITH THE OIL BY OBEYING INSTRUCTIONS YOU RECEIVE IN YOUR CLOSET AND THIS INVOLVES EXCHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH SUCH INSTRUCTION. That is how you trade out your flesh to live the anointed life.
God gave them talents according to their several abilities. Sometimes we look at someone and say, How I wish I had his anointing or I were like him. I want you to know that the one that was given two talents and traded with it also entered the joy of the Lord (i.e. the kingdom). Likewise, the one that had five and traded with it entered the joy of the Lord. If all what God wants you to do is to sweep one corner of the church and you do it faithfully, He will reward you the same way He will reward someone who pastors a one million member church. What God rewards is faithfulness. If God tells you to do something and you leave it to do another thing, you will not get any reward for it. The Bible says, Obedience is better than sacrifice. The reason why we cannot obey God is because of the flesh life; it is not easy to trade it off (to let it go), but the kingdom of God demands diligence (Matt. 13:34).
The goods God gave them was the word of the kingdom. Such is His wealth and His testimony. The oil of gladness is his treasured possession. That testimony is His anointed life that cannot be stained
What are the goods being delivered to you and how are you trading with them (Matt. 25:24-30)? When God places demands our flesh, we raise questions like this unprofitable servant did. Every time we come to meetings or hear the Lord speak to us through different mediums, goods are being delivered to us. These goods are what make God good. God is not just good, He also has many goods. When He gives such goods to us, how do we trade with them? We are supposed to trade our carnal life with them in order to inherit eternal life.
Bless You!
Pst. Danladi Hassan
The Essence of the Anointed Life
VGC Lively Stones Bi-monthly Fellowship