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Tuesday, July 16 2013
Introduction: Last week we considered a crucial topic: “Sustaining our Faith”. We looked at the pitfalls that threaten our faith and how to avoid them as we considered Peter’s experience of walking on water. Peter walked on water; but it was his faith that kept him afloat. As long as he could sustain his faith, he was fine. But then, the pitfalls came threatening and he lost it. This week we shall consider a phrase that has fazed a number of people in the past; one we have also just read in our texts. “For with the heart man believeth”, “and shall not doubt in his heart”. From our texts we notice that it is with the heart that a man believes or doubts. So what does it mean to believe with the heart? Answering this question correctly requires that we have insight to a few Truths. It is in gaining these insights we will come to an understanding of what it means to believe with the heart
The heart of man is the spirit of man. First, we need to understand that the heart of man is the spirit of man. Man is a spirit; he has a soul; and he lives in a body. The word "heart" used in the scriptures we just mentioned is not referring to the physical organ that pumps the blood through our bodies and keeps us alive. That would mean we are to believe God with our bodies! The word "heart" is used to convey a thought. Notice how we use the word "heart" today. We talk about the heart of a tree. What do we mean? We mean the centre, the very core. We talk about the heart of a subject. What do we mean? We mean the most important part of that subject - the very centre of it - the main part of it around which the rest revolves. And when God speaks of the human heart, He is speaking about the main part of man; the very centre of man's being, which is his spirit. When God speaks of the heart, He means the human spirit. Many times the words "heart" and "spirit" in the Bible are interchangeable. See Romans 2:28, 29 In this passage, the "heart" of man and the "spirit" of man are used interchangeably. Romans 2:29 says, "... circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit...." That is referring to the human spirit. Your heart, according to this text, is your spirit.
We can ONLY contact God with our Spirits (Hearts) JOHN 4:24: “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The words "in spirit" in the phrase, refers to the human spirit, not the Holy Spirit. You see, you cannot contact God with your body and you cannot contact God with your mind. You can only contact God with your spirit; therefore, you must worship him from your spirit or heart.
It is with his spirit, man contacts the spiritual realm. With his soul he contacts the intellectual and emotional realm. And with his body he contacts the physical realm. So to believe God with your heart means to believe God with your spirit (the real man or otherwise referred to as the inner man.)
Hidden Man of the Heart – The real man 1 PETER 3:4a “But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, Notice the word "heart" again. Notice also that Peter says, ". . . the hidden man of the heart ...” Peter used the words "hidden man" because, really, the spirit or the heart is the real you. The body is not the real you; it is just the house you live in. Remember Paul said in First Corinthians 9:27, "... I keep under my body, and I [The real him] bring it [The body] into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a cast-away." If your body were the real you, Paul would have said, "I keep myself under. I bring myself under subjection." But he said, "I keep my body under. I bring it under subjection." "I" is the man on the inside. It is the "hidden man of the heart" in First Peter 3:4. It is the spirit - the real man, or the inner man. The "hidden man of the heart" is called that because he is hidden to the natural man or to the natural mind.
The Inward Man ROMANS 7:22: “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man.” Here, the spirit of man is called the "inward man." So this inward man and the hidden man give us God's definition of the human spirit. Remember the real man is a spirit; he has a soul; and he lives in a body (1 Thess. 5:23). We can only contact God with your spirit. And God contacts and communicates with us through our spirits. Certainly, you know that when you hear the Word of God preached, you hear it with your physical ears and it goes through your natural mind before it goes into your heart or your spirit. 1Corinthians 2:14 says, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” The Word of God is of the Spirit of God, and the Bible says the Word of God is foolish to the natural mind. The reason the Word of God is foolish to the natural mind is that you don't understand the Bible with your head or mind; it is spiritually understood. You understand the Bible with your heart or your spirit. That's the reason you can read certain verses over and over again and not understand the meaning. Then one day you can be reading along, and suddenly you see the truth of a particular verse of Scripture, and you say, "Why didn't I ever see that before?" Well, it is because you have only just then understood it with your heart!
The right sequence is to Believe, Receive, and Then Have! To have anything, we need to first receive it. And to receive, we have to believe. (But this belief is with the heart!) Mark 11:24 (KJV) says: “Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. In common, every-day language, Jesus said, "You've got to believe you've got your answer before you get it!" The Amplified version reads: “For this reason I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe – trust and be confident - that it is granted to you, and you will [get it].” The problem is that many of us want to get what we desire first, before we believe we've got it. But Jesus said that you've got to believe you've received what you desire from God, and then you'll have it! That is faith!
How do we continue to believe with our hearts? “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” Proverbs 24:10 The Word of God is the food that makes our spirits strong and that gives us quiet assurance and confidence. So how does our spirit get faith that our intellect cannot obtain? Through reading and meditating on the Word; Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, ". . . Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Jesus is speaking here of spiritual food. He is using the natural human idea (bread) to convey a spiritual thought. The Word of God is food for the spirit and faith. The Word of God is to the spirit of man what natural food is to the body of man. Our spirits become filled with assurance and confidence as we meditate in the Word.
Conclusion: To believe with all of our heart is to believe independently of our heads or of our bodies. Proverbs 3:5 says: “Trust in the Lord with all thine HEART; and lean not unto thine own understanding [or your mind]. We know that to believe with the heart is to believe with the spirit, not regarding what your physical body may tell you or what your physical senses may tell you. Contributor: Alex Alajiki Tuesday, July 16 2013
Introduction In the last study titled “How Faith Comes – Part1” we learned that faith comes by hearing the word of God. We considered extensively, the various ways we could receive this faith; listening to the word of God, reading the word of God, etc. As a continuation of How Faith comes, today, we will look at a sub-title: “Sustaining or Faith”. This is important because having faith alone without sustaining it and/or maintaining it will cause us to lose it! In this study, we will consider the pitfalls and how to avoid them. From our text, Peter heard the voice of the Master – the Word of God when Jesus said to all of them first in verse 27; “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” His faith was activated straightaway. The message version of verse 28 says; “Peter, suddenly bold, said, “Master, if it’s really you, call me to come to you on the water.” And then Jesus said to him “Come!” Peter walked on water; but it was his faith that kept him afloat. As long as he could sustain his faith, he was fine. But then, the pitfalls came threatening and he lost it. So let us consider these pitfalls and how to avoid them. The pitfalls are (but not limited to) the following 1. Fear From our text in Matt: 14 and verse 30 “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink cried out; “Lord, save me!”” 2. Doubt In verse 31 of Matt. 14, Jesus indicates that doubt is one of the pitfalls of sustaining our faith Also in Mark 11:23 [AMP], He reiterated the same pitfall. “Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, be lifted up and thrown into the sea! And does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him.” And so if we will not doubt; if we will just believe, then whatever we say will happen! 3. Distractions These come in various forms but the purpose is to get our eyes of the Author and Finisher of our faith and focus on things contrary to what the Word says; the winds, the waves, etc. Romans 8:38-39 lists some of the possible distractions. 4. Our senses What we see around us, what we hear and the way we perceive the things we see and hear affect the way we feel and these in turn invokes doubt. 2 Cor. 4:18a; “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.” * Discuss any other pitfalls
Avoiding the Pitfalls We can avoid being victims of these pitfalls if we apply (but not limited to) the following: 1. Prove God's Word by Acting on It – Make use of your faith One of the definitions of faith as we learnt in our study is proving God's Word by acting on it. Because, one may say that they know God's Word is good, but will never really know God's Word is good until we have acted on it and have reaped the results of it. There is a very strong importance when someone has a first-hand experience; an eye-witness account of God’s word! Luke so very confidently expressed this in his epistle to Theophilus in Luke 1:1-4. His confidence was based on the first-hand experience of the disciples. Heb. 5:14, says: “But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” Emphasis mine This follows then that the more we walk by faith, the stronger it becomes and the less the possibility of losing it.
2. Believe What the Bible Says - Not What Your Senses Tell You We should believe what the Bible says, not what we see, hear or feel because our faith is not based on our feeling but based on what God says. When we develop our faith to the place where we believe what the Word says regardless of circumstances and physical symptoms, then we are rest assured that we won’t lose faith. Important to note is that we do not deny symptoms because they are real. Of course pain is real; sin is real; and the devil is real. But we should not focus on them. Romans 4:19-21 MSG “Abraham didn’t focus on his own impotence and say, “It’s hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.” Nor did he survey Sarah’s decades of infertility and give up. He didn’t tiptoe around God’s promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said.” Notice what the Bible said: "Abraham did not focus on his own impotence but plunged into what God promised. 3. Speak what the Bible Says - Not What Your Senses Tell You Again from Romans 4:19a, Abraham did not say “It’s hopeless”. Joel 3:10 (NIV) says: “Let the weak say, “I am strong.”” Also, Hebrews 13:6 says: “So that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” We should quit saying what we feel (it may be real but not the truth) and start saying what the Bible says about us (obviously the truth) “Often we are faced with two realities; the negative (based on occurrences around us and our feelings) and the positive (based on the Word of God and His precious promises) and ultimately, we have a choice to make; to confess the positive or the negative reality. The simple truth at the end of the day is that the reality that we continually confess will eventually supersede the other.”- Still Standing 4. Let the seed of God’s word grow within you Hosea 14:2 (NIV)”Take my words with you.” And Acts 19:20 (KJV) says; “So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.” We should allow the word of God grow within us because it is His word that will prevail when our faith is tested. Jesus overcame the temptations of Satan by the Word that He had within Him. “Matthew 4:1-11”. Proverbs 4:20-22 says: “My son, attend unto my words; incline thine ears unto my sayings. Let them not depart from before thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they [my words] are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. The source of our faith is the Word of God; so if we allow the Word to grow in us then we are indirectly growing the faith in us! 5. Deliberately shift your focus to the Author and the Finisher of your faith Focus on Jesus, who is your High Priest and the Author and the Finisher of your faith (Heb. 12:2). We should center our attention and our minds on what Jesus has done for us and what He is doing for us as our High Priest. He is seated at the right hand of God right now making intercession for us (Heb. 7:25). Also Hebrews 4:14 says: “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God let us hold fast our profession [our confession of faith]. So we should get our attention focused on the right things - on Jesus, our great High Priest, and on His Word - instead of on ourselves and our feelings. Psalm 119:15 ESV: “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.”
Conclusion There are a number of things out there that will contend with our faith. That is why we are advised to be on our guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous and be strong! 1 Corinth 16:13. Truth also is that it is the ONLY currency of heaven. The ONLY way we can please God! Also Jude 1:3-4 MSG says: “Dear friends, I’ve dropped everything to write you about this life of salvation that we have in common. I have to write insisting—begging!—that you fight with everything you have in you for this faith entrusted to us as a gift to guard and cherish. Sustaining our faith is worth dropping everything else for! Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai Tuesday, July 16 2013
Introduction We have been studying the definitions of faith during our past Bible studies with so much insight into the meaning of Faith. Heb. 11:1 defines faith as the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Martin L. King Jnr. defines Faith as taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase This week, we shall be examining how to acquire the faith needed to please God in our relationship with Him. If faith is needed to please Him, then God must have made provisions for everyone to be able to get the faith necessary to please Him. Heb.11:6: "But without faith it is impossible to please him...."
1) Faith Comes by Hearing the Word: Rom. 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” If faith is a physical material or substance, then the material needed to produce this substance of faith is the word of God according to Rom. 10:17. Every time I need faith, I simply go to the word of God to receive the amount of faith needed. God is not responsible for my lack of faith.
2) Faith for salvation: Ephesians 2:8: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." Salvation is a free gift from God but faith is required to have access to this ultimate gift from God. We already know that faith comes by hearing the word of God, but how are we to get faith to get saved? Romans chapter 10 tells us. ROMANS 10:8-10,13,14 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, THE WORD OF FAITH, WHICH WE PREACH; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation ...13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and HOWSHALL THEY BELIEVE IN HIM OF WHOM THEY HAVE NOT HEARD? and how shall they hear without a preacher? Faith for salvation comes when we hear the word of God. The Holy Spirit will bring conviction to our hearts when the seed of the word of God is sown. The word of God is necessary for us to believe and have faith for salvation.
2a) The case of Cornelius and his household. Act 10:1-48 The angel instructed Cornelius to call for Peter: "And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do" (Acts 10:5,6). Acts11:14 reports that the angel said that Peter would preach the gospel to Cornelius: "Who shall tell thee WORDS, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved." This verse also shows us that men are saved by hearing words - God's Word: "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17). You can't believe without hearing. So many are trying to believe without hearing. Jesus said, ". . .Go YE into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). Angels can’t preach the gospel, but the angel could tell Cornelius where to go to get someone who could preach the gospel to him. His household was saved when they believed the gospel that Peter preached (Acts 11:13). We are to the preach the gospel for people to believe and be saved.
3) Faith For Healing: Luke. 5:17 “And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them”. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”(Rom.10:17) . Faith for salvation came by hearing the preaching of the gospel so also faith for healing comes by the same preaching of the gospel of healing. Jesus was teaching and the power of the Lord to heal anyone that will believe was present to heal. I believe he must have been preaching about the ability of God to heal
3a) The case of the impotent man at Lystra: ACTS 14:7-107 “And there they [Paul and Barnabas] PREACHED the GOSPEL.8 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked:9 The same HEARD Paul SPEAK: who steadfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked”.
This man was not healed because Paul was an apostle, but notice what had to take place before this man was healed: "And there they [Paul and Barnabas] PREACHED the GOSPEL" (Acts 14:7). So Paul did three things: 1. He preached the gospel to the man. 2. He perceived that the man had faith to be healed. 3. He told the man to rise up and walk.
The man also did three things: 1. He heard Paul preach the gospel. 2. He had faith to be healed. 3. He leaped up and walked. The man was not healed by some special power that Paul had. The man had faith to be healed. Where and how did he get faith to be healed? He got it from what he heard! Remember Acts 14:9 says, "The same [man] heard Paul SPEAK. . . ." What did Paul speak? Verse 7 says, "And there they PREACHED the GOSPEL." If Paul preached what we call the gospel of salvation, how did the man get faith to be healed? The man got faith to be healed because Paul preached what the Bible calls the gospel, which also includes healing. Countless people are waiting to be saved, healed, delivered from all forms of satanic oppressions but they need us to preach the gospel to them to be able to believe. It is our responsibility to preach while it is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit to use the preaching of the gospel, which is the power of God, to bring salvation, healing and deliverance to people all over the world. “And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” Mark 16:20
Conclusion: The study of faith is a very wide subject that will require extensive search for deeper understanding and revelation. We thank God for His generals like Kenneth E. Hagin who did extensive studies on the subject of Faith in his life time. This study was extracted from his book; Faith Bible Study Guide. Contributor: Alex Alajiki Tuesday, July 16 2013
INTRODUCTION: Another interesting teaching awaits us as we continue on our expository into the mystery of Faith. We have, by the grace of God been able to establish the importance of Hope and Faith and how they work together last week. This week, we will build on this knowledge and see how we can activate our faith and make it work for us. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” [Hebrews 11:1] A modern translation of the above scripture reads, “Faith is giving substance to things hoped for.” The Expanded Bible Version of the same scripture reads, “Faith means being sure [the assurance; or reality; or the sure foundation] of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it [the conviction/ assurance/ evidence about things not seen].”
We need to first realise and settle the truth about Hope having its own place in the perfection of our Faith walk. We also need to realise that it is our Faith that gives substance to the things we hope for. I love the way the New Living Translation of the Bible expresses the word hope in 1 John 3:3,
“And all who have this eager expectation (hope) will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure” [Emphasis Mine]
It is our faith that gives sub-stance to the things we eagerly or expectantly desire. If we are going to wait until we get something before we believe we have it, then it will be too late and it won’t work. Instances abound in both the old and new testaments of the Bible, about the many escapades done through people who refuse to wait until something happened before taking the appropriate steps towards realising and accomplishing their goals. For example, in Joshua 6:3-5, the Israelites were given certain instructions to act upon in order to posses Jericho. They were to march around the walls of Jericho once a day for six days, and seven times on the seventh day. In addition, they were to shout when the musical instruments were sounded on the seventh day. These were the instructions required to be carried out by the Israelites in order for them to actualise the victory that God has promised them. They first had to believe they received God’s word to them and then take a further step of acting upon this word. Their acting upon the Word was their faith in action. It is important to note that the Israelites shouted (acting on their faith) even while the wall was still standing. The lesson here is that faith demonstrates to the eye of the mind, the reality of those things that cannot be discerned by the eye of the body [Matthew Henry’s Commentary]. Put in another word, the things which are not seen are eternal in value compared to the things that can be seen (2 Cor.4:18). Faith transcends the physical realm. It is not controlled or deterred by the physical. The Israelites faith gave substance to God’s word to them and when they acted on their faith, God’s promise became a reality and those walls came down, Hallelujah!
Faith Is Active Faith is acting upon God’s word. To act means to do something. Many people are waiting for answers to prayers to come to them especially in the area of healing or the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Too often, people just wait for something to happen with a passive faith instead of an active faith. Although God will help you meet your financial obligations, you have a part to play. You can’t just stay idle and expect things to happen or expect something to come to you. You can pray and believe God, but then you must act on your faith by actively looking for a job (for example) and something will happen. Same applies in the spiritual.
New Testament Example of Active Faith “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” Faith is looking at the finished work and not focusing on the present! This is giving substance to things hoped. The finished work is the substance. Whenever Jesus speaks to people, He speaks the end of the situation and not what they are going through. That is giving substance to things hoped for. A very good illustration of giving substance to things hoped for is in Luke 17:11-19. Notice Jesus didn’t say the man’s thanksgiving has made him whole, but his faith (Discuss). This man saw what the other nine could not see. A man of faith indeed! Another illustration can be found in Luke 5:18-25. A man sick the palsy was let down from the roof of a house where Jesus was teaching because the room was so packed full. Verse 20, 24 of the same chapter records; “And when he [Jesus] saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee…..Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house”. Note the phrase saw their faith. It was not only the faith of the four men who brought the man the palsy that got him healed, the faith of the sick man was included too. This man also demonstrated his faith because how many bedfast (bed ridden) people would endure the pain and discomfort and let someone take them up on top of a house and let them down through? We also know that this man had faith because when Jesus said to him, “Rise up”, he wasn’t any better, just as the leprous man in Luke 17, who as at the time he went back to give thanks, has not yet been made whole. The man with the palsy was just as help-less as he ever was. Nothing has changed physically before the command to rise up was given. Instead of trying to get up, he could have said, “Why Lord, didn’t you see them carrying me in here? I can’t possibly get up. You’ll have to heal me first.” Instead, he began to move (active) and when he did, healing was the result. If he refused to act on the Word of the Master, he would not have received healing. There is a real spiritual lesson for us here. Acting on God’s word is called faith. And when we are in faith, we will receive answers to prayers. The ability, through the help of the Holy Spirit, to see the finished work and the end of the matter, empowers us to be able to act on God’s Word in the face of difficult situations and circumstances. In the early days of Pentecost, a woman evangelist ministered to four people in wheelchairs. All she said, in a very quiet tone was, “Rise and walk in Jesus’ Name” and three of the four people walked. The one who was left sitting there in a wheel chair said, “I can’t walk.” Even though she was reminded that the others couldn’t walk either, but they did, this woman still answered, “I know they did; but I can’t. I haven’t walked in years. I can’t walk”. She was left sitting there. [Read out the story of the woman with Arthritis who never believed she could be healed because of doctor’s report – You Can’t Receive from God without Faith]
The Holy Spirit Prompts, But You Must Respond Too many people think that God’s healing power is just going to move on them and make them do something whether they want to do it or not, or whether they cooperate with His power or not. No, that would not be the Holy Spirit; that would be an evil spirit instead. The Holy Spirit never forces or drives you to do anything. He only urges and prompts you and it’s up to you to respond and do something. It’s up to you whether or not to obey. Kenneth Hagin laid his hands and prayed for a woman to receive the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost indeed came upon the woman but she would not respond by speaking. This he did again but the result was the same. He mentioned that he knew exactly what was wrong with the woman. She was asked to read the portion of scripture in Acts 2:4 and the emphasis was on "....and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." . You see, this woman believed she was filled with the Holy Ghost, the main hindrance to her speaking in other tongue as one of the signs of being filled with the Holy Ghost is that she had always believed that it was the Holy Ghost that did the speaking. She was asked to read another scripture in Acts 10:44-46, in order to encourage her faith and she was filled with the Holy Ghost.
Faith Is Cooperating With God [Read Testimony of a man who had been burned over the lower part of his body and had been unable to walk]. We can only cooperate with God through our belief in His ability. We can understand this better through the principle of buoyancy [explain]. Faith, you see, is acting on God's word; doing what-ever He says to do in the Word or whatever He may say to us to do by the Holy Spirit. God can't help folks who won't cooperate with Him. But we need to get this fact; faith is giving substance to things hoped for. Faith will eventually bring into reality what you hoped for - The Finished Work! If You Believe, You Will Act The best definition of faith is this: IF YOU BELIEVE, YOU WILL ACT. This also relates to God's word. If we believe God's Word, we will act as though it's true. Act on Your Faith for Healing Kenneth Hagin said that people want healing for their bodies and that he can tell then just exactly how to get it. The answer is in Acts 14:8-10. Paul perceived that this impotent man had faith to be healed; yet the man was still sitting there crippled until he acted on his faith. The real truth is, every believer has faith to be healed. Someone said, "If sick folks have faith, they are going to be healed". Oh no, that's wrong, because there's nowhere in the bible where it says, "If you just have faith, you'll be healed". But the moment you begin to act on the faith that you do have, your faith will be work and you will be healed. Yes, the devil will contest you every inch of the way. But if you keep on acting in faith, you will manifest the healing.
Conclusion If you can't get people to receive and act on God's word, there is no way that you or even God can help them. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). you've heard the word. Faith is acting on the Word that you've heard. It is you who must act on the Word, so get ready and act now. Contributor: Leye Olayiwola Tuesday, July 16 2013
Introduction We thank God for leading us to focus on the study of faith which is one of the prerequisites for walking in signs and wonders this year. We started with the study of the name of Jesus and we have been blessed by great revelations from the word of God. The summary of our studies can be found in Col. 3:17 “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” The understanding of the name of Jesus sets the foundation for our journey into the mystery of Faith. Faith is one of the fruit of the spirit (Gal.5:22-23). It is one of the very natures of God. Since we are partakers of God’s divine nature (2Pet.1:4) then, living by faith is a must for our relationship with God.
1) What is Faith? : Heb. 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” a) Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.- Martin L.King Jr.
b) Faith is making the Words of God the main determining factor for every action you take, and remaining at peace whether you know the outcome or not.. Web definition
The NIV stated that “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” Moffatt's translation of this verse reads: "Now faith means that we are confident of what we hope for, convinced of what we do not see."
The definition of faith will not be well rounded without understanding the relationship between hope and faith. Faith is giving substance to the things hoped for. Hope is not faith and faith is not hope.
2) The Difference Between Faith and Hope: Hope is a great thing and it is also a key part of faith. But Hope alone has no certainty; but with faith comes certainty. It is this certainty (trust) that says to a mountain “move” and it will move! Without the certainty that God will do what he promises, the great acts of faith we see in the Bible would never have happened. Faith gives us the confidence to act on Gods promises… hope alone does not. Hope is future tense. Thank God we do have a Blessed Hope. The Blessed Hope of the Church is the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the saved dead, the rapture of the living saints, the hope of heaven, and the hope of seeing our loved ones and friends. Thank God for that hope. We rejoice in that hope, but that's all future tense. Jesus is coming again, whether we believe it or not. Hebrews 11:1 says: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” From this verse of scripture, we see that we must have HOPE to have FAITH. There is no faith without hope. But you don’t have to have faith to have hope. We know what we hope for, but that’s only the first part of having faith… we have to be “… certain of what [we] do not see.” Faith requires both parts! Substituting hope for faith is like trying to win a race without crossing the finish line… you have to start and finish. The power is not in starting the race… anyone can do that. The power is in finishing. This is why faith is so difficult.
3) Changing Hope to Faith To Receive Miracle: Hebrews 11:1 reads: "Faith is giving substance ... to things hoped for." The journey of faith starts at the door of hope. Mark 5:21 “For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.” The hope of a miraculous healing made the woman to seek out for Jesus; believing that touching Jesus’s garmet would heal her was an “activator” of her faith and when she acted on her faith (by leaving her house and going ahead to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment) she received her miracle!
4) To receive, we need faith – not hope!
A look at the hall of faith Read Hebrews 11 verses 1-40
· It was through faith the people of old subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, and stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again and the walls of Jericho fell down.
Notice how faith always inspired fearless action! Hope doesn’t do that… only faith does. That’s why “…certainty in what you do not see” is so important. The certainty of faith removes all fear, and doubt… something that simple hope cannot.
Here are a few encounters:
We only receive when we pray in FAITH!
Conclusion The study of faith is a very wide subject that will require extensive search for deeper understanding and revelation. We thank God for His generals like Kenneth E. Hagin who did extensive studies on the subject of Faith in his life time. This study was extracted from his book; Faith Bible Study Guide.
Contributors: Alex Alajiki & Isekhua Evborokhai Thursday, March 14 2013
Introduction: ??But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.. and they shall walk and not faint''. Isa 40: 31. After few weeks of break in our teaching, I believe this scripture should be our experience as we continue in our journey into walking in the miraculous. A quick recap of what we have learnt will be of immense help to today's topic- Reigning by the Name.
In the Origin of The Name, we should remember this quote: ?'Men obtain great names in three ways. Some men are born to a great name, a King for instance. Others make their name great by their achievements. Still others have a great name conferred upon them''. The name Jesus is great because it came by all three means; By Inheritance- Heb 1: 1-6; By Bestowal- Phil 2: 9-11 and By Conquest- Eph 1: 20, 21, Col 2: 15. In Authority in His Name, reference was made to Kenneth E. Hagin's statement in "The Believer's Authority" that ??the value of our authority rests on the power that is behind our authority! The devil and his forces are obliged to recognize our authority! We, as believers can therefore exercise His authority and face the enemy fearlessly'' Today we shall be considering the topic- Reigning by the Name from our text. Roman 5: 17. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. Adam's offence: One man's offence in the passage refers to the first Man- Adam. His offence was the sin of disobedience. Consequently he died a spiritual death (which is the nature of Satan, this manifest in the likes of hatred, lying, poverty, and sickness. When Adam lost his dominion, all such of evil took toll on mankind. Man lost his throne. Satan began to reign.
Abundance of Grace and the Gift of Righteousness: The nature of God is love. He expresses this to mankind by the offering of Jesus for the atonement of our sin; restore man back to his original position as it was in Gen 1: 26. As many that receive this abundance of grace according to John 1: 12 receive the gift of righteousness and shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ. Now looking at the Amplified translation and several others, translate that, ??reign as kings in life''. One may be quick to ask: "What are we to reign over?" Circumstances, diseases, sickness, sin, hatred and everything else that is of the devil; those things will not dominate us. We are to dominate them. Think of this; someone who lives in Buckingham Palace goes through life with nothing much to eat, is sick, and emaciated. Can they be regarded as one who reigns in life? No, they would not. Why? Because, although they live in the Palace of the Queen of Great Britain; they have not experienced the benefits of the palace. The more we give place to the entrance of His words, chew it, regurgitate it, ruminate on its truths that we actually begin to reign in life by Christ Jesus.
The Place of Thanksgiving and Our Inheritance In our second text; Colossians 1: 12, 13 "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son." Apostle Paul is talking about giving thanks unto God the Father for something that belongs to us right now. God Has made us able to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. Saints (Blood washed, redeemed) inherited something. Our Inheritances are: Deliverance from the power and authority of darkness In other words He Has delivered us from Satan's authority; from demons, from sickness, from diseases, from poverty. In actual fact, God Has delivered us from everything that belongs to Satan. ??God Has rescued us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His Beloved Son'' GWT. Another Translation says, ??He Has taken us out from under the control and the dominion of darkness.'' Instead of Satan's reigning over us, we are to reign over him. Many times Spirit-filled Christians are ruled and dominated by the devil, circumstances, and everything else of this world. They ought to be happy and joyous, filled with life and light.
Conclusion: Let's rise up and take advantage of what belongs to us. How is it we are going to reign? We are to reign by the Name Christ Jesus. Contributor: Martins Olubiyi Thursday, March 14 2013
Introduction When Jesus was teaching His disciples He made them to understand that the only way to get the best out of the Father is through His (Jesus') name. Considering the following bible verses we see exactly what he was trying to teach them which are good examples we can learn from.
John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
John 14:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
John 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
John 16:26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:
John 16:23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
John 16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
What does it means to act in another person's name? A name serves as a tag that helps to identify who we are; our reputation, authority personality and character. That is why the bible refers a good name to be better than great riches. When we act in another's person's name we are excising two things
1. The authority of the other person in whose name we are acting on 2. We come in the stead of him who sent us. Based on this we are treated as if we that person.
That's why when David came to Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:45 "Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied."
He came unto Goliath in the name of the Lord and not in his own power or authority but that of the Lord. And the rest as we know was victory.
Reason why the name will work for us Romans 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
We have been adopted into the family of God as children. We have been accepted in the beloved. We are joint heirs with Jesus Christ. We share in the same inheritance. The Father looks upon the redeemed as if He were looking on His Son Jesus Christ.
It is the greatest of all blessings that Christ has told us to approach the Father in His own name. We are totally undeserving to come to the Father but when we will come to the father in the name of His son it means that we come to the Father with the knowledge that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and it is the confidence that Jesus has sent us to the Father. He grants our request not for who we are but because we have come His sons name.
Romans 8:32 emphases this truth "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"
If He did not withhold His own Son from me and also promised not to withhold any good thing from me then I can only ask for these things in the name of His Son.
The bible commands us to come boldly. So in our prayers nothing can stop us and if anything dares try to ask us on the way in, "What are you doing here?".We can boldly answer, "We have come in the name of Jesus." And by this command our heavenly Father is compelled to treat us as He would His own Son because we come in His stead. We represent the Son when we come to the Father.
Conclusion In conclusion "in Jesus' name can become a meaningless phrase if we don't apply the right heart attitude. We should realize that the benefits of His are far fetched until we rightly apply the name of Jesus. God Bless you!!!
Contributor: Clem Roberts Thursday, January 31 2013
Introduction: Last week we continued in our study by looking at the authority in the name of Jesus, the meaning of authority, the connection between the name of Jesus and authority and the fact that authority in His name commands the supernatural. We concluded that Jesus confers His authority to us because He knows we will have need of it for a victorious Christian living. We cannot afford to be ignorant of the use of our delegated authority as satan thrives on ignorance.
His name our Surname In Rev. 3:8 Jesus commends the church for keeping both his word and his name." It is apparent that God wants us to know him by name for his name represents to us who He is and in Rev. 2:13 He commended the Church in Pergamum: "I know your works and where you dwell, even where Satan's throne is: and you hold fast my name, and have not denied my faith, even in those days when Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwells" A Christian must know his status, his authority and his rights IN CHRIST. Satan always yields to the commands of a child of God who knows his position and God always confirms His Word with signs and wonders following that believer "that the eyes of our hearts may be opened, that we may know the exceeding greatness of His ability on our behalf..." (Eph. 1:17-23). To pray in the name of Jesus, is to take ownership of that which he has given to us as His bride and representatives on earth and as such we are united with Him and His purpose.
Jesus gave His authority to those who believe in him. It gives us God's power to fight spiritual warfare and do God's work on earth Amen," (Mk. 16:17-20). Jesus is the only name in which salvation is found (Acts 4:12) and gave the Church the power of attorney to use His Name. The disciples are commissioned to go and bear fruit; and they are given a legal right to use the Name of Jesus and to have the same authority that Jesus exercised in His earthly walk: John 16:23-24,26.
In Acts 5:27-28 - The high priest, all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees knew they were combating a "force" that they had never met before. Jesus, they had crucified, but His Name was more powerful! His name was working wonders and none could arrest His name or wrest it from his disciples. When you know how to take full possession of His name you will be a wonder in your world, you will be strong and do exploits. Acts 4:18,19 "And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John answered and said to them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, judge you"
What does it mean when Jesus gives us power in His Name--the free use of it--with assurance that whatever we ask in His Name will be given to us? (John 14:13-14; 15:16; 16:23-24, 26). Jesus solemnly gives to all who are His, a general and unlimited power to use His Name at all times. He could trust us with His interests and that His honour would be safe in our hands. Do not take His name in vain.
The free use of someone else's name is always a token of great confidence and close union. Someone who gives his name to another stands aside to let that person act for him. Someone who takes the name of another gives up his own as of no value. When I go in the name of another, I deny myself. I take not only the name of another, but himself and what he is, instead of myself and what I am.
Peter at the beautiful gate despite having no silver or gold he knew he had the name of Jesus which is more valuable than silver and gold.
Do you know you have his name as your possession? Do you fully understand what Jesus has accomplished on the cross? Colossians 2:10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. Colossians 2:15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. As a believer you must understand the mystery of Christ, His name, person, office, and grace.
According to Kenneth Hagin "Charles Spurgeon (1834-92), noted English Baptist preacher, told this personal experience. He was called to the home of an elderly woman who was bedfast. Malnutrition was about to take her physical life. During his visit, Spurgeon noticed a framed document on the wall. He asked the woman, "Is this yours?" She said it was, and explained that she had worked as a maid in the household of some of the English nobility. "Before Lady So-and-so died," the woman said, "she gave that to me. I served her for nearly half a century. I've been so proud of it because she gave it to me. I had it framed. It's been hanging on the wall ever since she died 10 years ago." Mr. Spurgeon asked, "Would you allow me to take it and have it examined more closely?" "Oh, yes," said the woman, who never learned to read, "just be sure to see I get it back." Spurgeon took it to the authorities. They had been looking for it. It was a bequest. The English noblewoman had left her maid a home and money. She lived in a little one-room house built out of wooden boxes and was starving to death?yet she had hanging on the wall a document that authorized her to be well cared for and to live in a fine house. The money was gathering interest. It belonged to her. Spurgeon helped her get it, but it didn't do her as much good as it could have earlier. I think that is indicative of what has happened to much of the church world. We live in a little run-down shanty? spiritually speaking?while lying on a table somewhere is the New Covenant. We're proud of it. But we've never taken the time to find out what it says belongs to us"
The devil has deceived the majority of Christians and kept them ignorant of the power in the name and the right to use it. To effectively use His name you must know what it entails and how to use it by studying the word, obeying and living by the word. The name is not a magic wand.
CONCLUSION When the Lord Jesus went to heaven, He left His work--the management of His Kingdom on earth--in the hands of His servants. He also gave them His Name to draw all the supplies they need for advancing the kingdom. We have the spiritual power to use the Name of Jesus only as far as we yield ourselves to live only for the interests and the work of the Master. The use of the Name always supposes the surrender of our interests to Him Whom we represent. All the authority and all the power that is in Jesus is in His Name and He has given the name to the Church. He said "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Matt. 16:18-19 The name of Jesus belongs to you when you marry Him, it will not work for people dating God. Christ is the bridegroom and you as His bride automatically possess His name, can represent Him and co-owns all that belongs to Him. His name has been freely given to you.
Contributor: Esther Alajiki Thursday, January 31 2013
INTRODUCTION: Last week, we continued in our journey into walking in the miraculous by gaining understanding of the origin of the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We concluded that He obtained the great Name, Jesus by Inheritance: Hebrews 1:1-6 "......hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name.....", by Bestowal: Philippians 2:9-11 "Wherefore God has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name....", and finally by Conquest: Ephesians 1:20-21 "which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated him at His right hand in the heavenly....". We concluded last week that knowledge of the origin of the Name will enhance our walk in the original dominion God intended for us.
This week, we will be looking at how we can walk effectively in this dominion, through Authority in the Name of Jesus Christ.
1. Meaning of Authority The words, Power and Authority are sometimes used interchangeably in the New Testament. The word Power is translated from the Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek (New Testament) from several different words. In O.T.: Koach - Strength; Force; Ability to do something (Exodus 15:6 & 32:11) In N.T.: Dunamis - in reference to God: Matthew 26:64, Mark 14:62; of Christ:1 Corinthians 1:24; the Gospel: Romans 1:16 Exousia - freedom of action, right to act; Luke 12:5, Ephesians 3:10 Ischus - ability, force, strength; 2 Thessalonials 1:9 Kratos - power; 1 Timothy 6:16, Hebrews 2:14
The word Authority is translated from the Greek word exousia denoting ability or strength that one is endued or given. We see that this word is used somewhat interchangeably in the New Testament meaning power or authority depending on its context. Summarily, Power is the ability or force to accomplish something and Authority is the right to carry it out. Authority is delegated power! Example - Uniformed Personnel and a very strong person.
2. Connection Between the Name of Jesus & Authority "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death." [Revelations 1:18]
In classical Greek, key (kleis (noun), kleio (verb)) described keys, as well as a bar, a catch, or a bolt. It also carried the idea of authority (the ability to "open and close" something. A general summary for the word key in the scripture is a "symbol of authority." We can therefore conclude from the above explanations that the one who has the key is the authorised one. Jesus is saying here, "I am the authorised one." He has authority - the right to carry out!
"And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," [Matthew 28:18-19]
"And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." [Mark 16:17-18]
Jesus Christ delegated His authority in the earth to the Church (You and I) by commanding us to Go therefore. Not only this, He also gave us His name as the authority. He's commanded us to exercise authority in my Name. In his book, The Believers Authority, Kenneth. E. Hagin mentioned that the value of our authority rests on the power that is behind that authority. God Himself is the power behind our authority! The devil and his forces are obliged, therefore, to recognise our authority! We, as believers, can therefore exercise this authority and face the enemy fearlessly!
Policemen who direct traffic during the rush hour just raise their hands and the cars stop. These men dont have the physical power to stop the vehicles if the drivers choose not to stop. But guess what, they dont use their own strength to stop traffic; they are strong in the authority that is invested in them by the government they serve. People recognise that authority and stop their cars. blessed be God, there's authority that's vested in us by the Lord Jesus Christ!
When a uniformed personnel goes to make an arrest, he or she simply declares that the offendant is under arrest. If asked to show any arrest warrant, the arrester just simply shows document which authorises him to make the arrest! We have the warrant to carry out Jesus's authority here on earth, hallelujah! The authority is in His Name! He gave us the name that is above every name. He gave us the name that is recognised in three worlds - the Name that has authority in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. Angels, men, and demons have to bow at that Name - and that Name belongs to us. We have the Authority to use that Name, Hallulujah!!!
"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." [Philippians 2:9-11]
"which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come." [Ephesians 1:20-21]
3. Authority In His Name commands The Supernatural According to Mark 16:17-18, Jesus Christ promised that the supernatural signs mentioned (new tongues, taking up serpents and you can add to the list) will accompany the believers. We became born again through His name. By believeing in His name. There is no other Name given under heaven whereby we must be saved (acts 4;12).
Blessed be God, the Name of Jesus does belong to us today! And thank God, that Name not only carry salvation, the Name enwraps all the power, all the majesty, and all the glory it ever did. Remember that the name of a person, stands for the person. Jesus is seated at the right hand of the father on high (the seat of power), far above every known authority. His name has all authority, all the power, all the dignity, all the majesty and all the glory that Jesus the Person has. We will discuss how the name of Jesus healed Lazarus (Smith Wigglesworth) and the Girl with convulsion (16 Year Old Leader of the Full Gospel)
Conclusion In conclusion, the Lord Jesus Christ confers His authority to us because He knows we will have need of it for victorious christian living. Imagine if the uniformed men refuse or are ignorant to use their delegated authorities? They would have made a shipreck of their authorities and been seriously injured in the process. The bible says;
"lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices." [2 Corinthians 2:11]
Satan thrives on ignorance. We must not only be knowledgeable of our authority in Jesus Christ, we must use and enforce our Authority in His Name!
Contributor: Leye Olayiwola Wednesday, January 23 2013
Introduction: Last week we started off our journey into walking in the miraculous by understanding the name Jesus - the name by which the miraculous happens. We looked at the meaning (Jehovah is salvation), the significance, the content and implication of the name Jesus. Today, we will consider the origin of the name - how He obtained this great name! There are examples of people who were self-acclaimed. The Roman emperor Domitian became power drunk and decreed himself to be god demanding to be addressed as dominus et deus (master and god) in AD 81. Idi Amin came into power in 1971 as the Ugandan president and decreed himself Field Marshall! But Kenyon writes: "Men obtain great names in three ways. Some men are born to a great name?a king, for instance. Others make their name great by their achievements. Still others have a great name conferred upon them." The name Jesus is great because it came by all three means. · He inherited a great Name. · His achievements were great. · His Father conferred it upon Him. Let us consider one after the other how, when and why Jesus obtained this great name. 1. By Inheritance Hebrews 1:1-6 "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high: Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, and let all the angels of God worship him. Jesus inherited a "more excellent name than they." He inherited a greater Name than any angelic being. As Son, He is heir of all things. He is "the express image" of God. He is "the brightness of the Father. He is God speaking to us. And He "by inheritance obtained a more excellent name." When did He inherit it? Not in heaven before He came to this earth, because He already had everything. Not when He came to the earth, because the Philippians 2:7 says that He stripped Himself of all honour and glory. Hebrews 1:4, 5 These verses tell us when He inherited this more excellent Name. It was when God said to Him, "Thou art my son, THIS DAY have I begotten thee" This day! That's when it happened?the day He was begotten. When was Jesus begotten? When He was raised up! On that Resurrection morning "God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." Acts 13:33 Emphasis mine We will not be able to understand the authority in the Name of Jesus until we understand this fact that Jesus went down to hell and satisfied the claims of Justice on the behalf of each one of us, because He died as our substitute. 2. By Bestowal "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name; That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things [beings} in heaven, and things [beings] in earth, and things (beings] under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." ?Philippians 2:9-11
The second is by bestowal; God gave Him a Name, which is above every Name. Let us imagine for a moment that God had a Name (known in heaven, unknown elsewhere), and this Name was kept to be conferred upon someone who would merit it: and Jesus came down to earth and made himself of no reputation, became a servant, God became like men. He then humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. He therefore merited and was given this Name, and at this Name every knee shall bow in the three worlds?Heaven, Earth, and Hell?and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord of the three worlds to the glory of God, the Father. Paul praying for the Church at Ephesus in Ephesians 1:18-20 prayed that the eyes of their spirit would be enlightened to truths they would never be able to figure out in their heads. God not only gave him a Name before which every being in the three worlds must bow and confess His lordship, but God seated Him in the highest place in the universe, at His own right hand, and made Him to be head over all things. Why did was the name given to us? 1. To use that Name against our enemy (the Devil and his cohorts). Mark 16:17 2. To use it in our petitions. John 14:13-14 3. To use it in our praises and worship. Luke 4:8
Finally, we will consider the third means by which Jesus obtained His Great Name. 3. By Conquest In Paul's prayer for the Church, he stated that God had raised Christ from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenlies, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named "(Eph. 1:20,21). By His conquest of these principalities, powers, might, and dominions, Jesus obtained that Name! Colossians 2:15 says: "And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it" These are the same principalities and powers spoken of in Ephesians 6:12: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual "wickedness in high places" The principalities and powers we wrestle against are the same ones that He overcame, No wonder He said, "In my Name they will cast out demons"! The conquest that Jesus made of the devil, of sin, of sickness and disease is wrapped up in the Name. The Name, when we use it, will bring into reality in our lives what Jesus has already accomplished. We need to be well aware of the authority invested in that Name Colossians 1:13 "Who hath delivered us from the power [authority] of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son." After spoiling the principalities and powers, putting them to nought, overcoming them and defeating them, He delivered us from the "power of darkness." Satan has no authority to dominate the Christian or the Church. Conclusion When we know this truth, that the name is not a self-acclaimed name, and know that the Name has been given to us. When we recognize the power and authority embedded in this name and the completeness it offers; then we can indeed walk in the original dominion God intended for man in the Garden of Eden; dominion over all of creation including the Devil and his agents.
Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai |
