Dearly Beloved,
Some decades ago, believers opened
their hearts to a definition and
understanding of faith that they could relate with; one that supposedly met
“their needs”, though not primarily “God’s need” (Ps. 110:1). But sometime in
2002, I was surprised to realise that the exploits Daniel made reference of in
Daniel chapter 11:32b wasn’t what the corporate church was accustomed to then,
neither are we till date.
Daniel only found mercy to prophesy of
what he had a faint idea of (1Pet. 1:10-11). He simply gave a prophetic
description of the exploits of New Testament Sons which would be governed by The Finishing Faith; Faith of The Son of
God or the Faith of the Gospel. Many have been inconsistent apprentices
of this faith and perhaps I am chief of such. (1Pet. 1:9/1Jn. 5:4/Phil.
1:27/Gal.2:20)
Blessed be God that the True Light surrounding this faith is
gradually becoming as prevalent as “the Word of Faith” once was, and it would continue
to do so until the present earth and heavens passes away! Though this faith has
long been declared an unwanted commodity on earth by rebel holders in high
places, there is a company of saints called “FEW”, who would lay hold on it (Matt.
7:14/Lk. 18:8) and thereby lay hold of the Son and Father.
The primary job description of “Our faith” (1Jn. 5:4; Heb. 10:23/12:2) is to separate a believer from “His Faith” (Matt. 9:29/Rom. 1:8/1Cor.
2:5/Eph. 1:15/Col. 1:4/2Thes. 1:3) and cause him to acquire Spiritual Stature through many dynamic
revelations of God’s Son that would seal us into God’s life (Eph. 4:13/Gal.
1:12/16)
The following transcribed message attempts
to highlight how Righteousness dovetails
with the Faith in Christ.
Graceful Reading!
Non-Negotiable
Counsels of God's Kingdom - Part 25
Scriptural
Reading: Rom. 1:16-17/16:25-26
Righteousness is a way of
judging things and it has its peculiar lifestyle. Righteousness manifests in different
shades and at different
levels. There is a self-righteousness of
man which the scriptures describes in Isaiah 64:6 as “filthy rags” and there is the righteousness
of the Law of Moses, which God gave to
Israel to separate them unto Himself. Angels also have
their own righteousness which sets them above the realm of man. Righteousness is the very force
that generates an earthly life, so it is the actual sin of man.
There is a righteousness that is according to God’s standard of judgment, which is according to what
is right in His
sight and this is the original frame
of righteousness that constitutes the law and propels God’s very life; a law that operates only among the Godhead. Every other
righteousness is lower and inferior in
life quality. (Rom. 1:16)
The
righteousness of God is revealed
through the preaching of the gospel of Christ. What God judges to be right
is beyond the limits
of human comprehension and that is why it must
be revealed. The Just can also be called The Righteous, and the power that runs him is the very law of
righteousness in God, which is known as faith.
A just man lives by faith. His walk on
earth is calculated and concluded in the faith programme. It is as he fulfills
faith walk that he obeys the law of life, and he who obeys the law of God’s
life acquires God’s life.
God gives life to man by leading
him in the path of faith. By Faith, i don’t mean the PRAYER OF FAITH (Jam. 5:15), but rather, the LIFE OF FAITH which is governed by God’s Righteous
Judgments (Rom. 1:17/Gal. 2:20)
Anyone who has experienced new birth but has not exercised his soul in faith life is still subject to the operations of the power
of death (Heb. 2:15). As long as we hasn’t learnt faith, our hearts and minds as the instruments of the soul are yet to discern or
overcome death.
The spirit was regenerated at new birth, but the genes of the mind and heart weren’t changed because that is the job
description for the
church; to restore the soul unto faith life. The restoration of life to man begins with the quickening of the spirit which raises him up into the
order of Jesus, but that is not the end of the work. Taking flesh (carnal nature) out of the soul is a
long process. God raised our spirit so that He could evacuate flesh and put life into our souls.
The way God puts life in the soul is by introducing him to faith life. Man ought to live totally dependent
on God. He ought not to desire anything of man for himself. He ought not to see himself or think of
himself (Phil. 2:3-5). His substances
are supposed to be God’s goods (life).
A soul cannot receive life from God
except the door of faith is opened to him. When the door of faith is opened, the path of faith is revealed and the soul begins to take steps that would train it in faith. Each
step taken is an reawakening to life and God desires this for every of his children. God does not want us to continue as babies, where we seek Him just to get our needs met. He wants our souls to
come to Him, seeking to be trained to gain access and mastery of His life. The
more we seek Him, the more our souls receive life.
From the Old Testament pattern, we see how God raised the souls of men even though their spirits were not quickened. God identified Himself with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
because they yeilded to him as He led them in paths that was unknown to men. While others were busy seeking their ambitions and like Cain; building cities, these faithful men dwelt in tents because they had a revelation of God’s way and chose to live by it. They chose to embrace another way of life which was alien to man. God saw this and opened
an account of righteousness for them.
The power of Satan (Acts 26:18) is such that
it blinds and puts ignorance in men (Eph. 4:18), so when God wants to make a man just, He gives him an illumination
on how to live. In doing
so, God reveals His
righteousness to him and that revelation is the faith by which men ought to live. Everything God gives as illumination is faith.
He tries and proves men to be worthy of Him by introducing them to faith life. IF A MAN CAN RECEIVE THE DISCIPLINE OF
FAITH WALK, THEN HE CAN ACCOMMODATE DIVINE LIFE.
Rom. 1:5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for
obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name
The purpose of new birth is not that
men should escape hell and get into heaven. Rather,
its that they may learn
obedience of faith (1Pet. 1:2/Rom.16:25). Obeying faith is obeying the
life that is in Jesus and that is what detonates the power of sin
and death. When God’s revelation
comes to a man,
it injects into him the ingredients
of the faith which is born of God. The Holy
Ghost acts on this ingredient and teaches him to obey what he has
received, and as he carries out obedience, his soul starts
to change (2cor. 3:18c). Life begins to
return and Satan’s hold is being
broken.
Satanic hold on men is broken when the faith life in Jesus is taught, as revealed in the
gospel and that is why we need to be taught (Eph. 4:21). As long as a soul
is ignorant, he remains in disobedience and the reign of Satan continues. Satan
rules the souls of men by the amount of disobedience he has wrought in them. That is why he fights hard to distract us from focusing on our eternal needs and thereby limit us from accessing a higher life.
The higher life is the revealed
life, and this is the faith life in the New Testament. When a man is being led to access this life,
he experiences a gradual working of the Lord in the faculties of his soul until he is completely severed from the earthly way of
living. When a soul is being cut off from its earthly ties and begins to get its life from
another source, he acquires the power of God and
becomes better than this world.
A powerful man is one whose life is governed by the law of
righteousness, which is faith. Such a man is mighty through God because he is
able to import the ways of God into the earth and He has strength to ride against the tide of disobedience by the force
of faith life which is in God.
Adam’s disobedience brought sin and death upon mankind. Sin is the transgression of the law of God. Jesus obeyed the Father, provided the answer to the issue of
death and thereby opened again the way of faith life to man. He has authored
and finished our faith, he has the authority
over sin and death and wants to
give us the keys that would demystify it.
He himself is that key that destroyed death, and every man who must
overcome Satan must not
only believe in Jesus but also obey Him. The soul must learn
Him and obey Him until all the
works of sin within are completely destroyed and the soul’s descent can no longer be traced to the earth.
1Tim 6:12 Fight the good
fight of faith, lay hold on eternal
life, where unto thou art also called,
and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
The
fight of faith must be exercised in our souls until it becomes our very life (Col. 3:4/Rom. 1:16). This dimension is not about miraculous power or about spiritual gifts. It is possible to have
miraculous power (anointing), yet one is unable to exercise dominion over works
of the flesh. You may have spiritual
gifts and lack the ability to let go of your
plans and pursuits for God preeminence.
Many are so committed to ministry work and projects and yet are bankrupt of spiritual life in their souls, but the church is coming into the season of
the power of God. The gospel of God will be taught, righteousness will be revealed, and men will naturally live by faith, amen.
Bless You!
Ministering: Rev. Kayode
Oyegoke
Topic: The Benefit of
Faith of The Gospel.
Venue: Lekki
Monthly Fellowship (8th February, 2015)
