Becoming a Prisoner of Jesus
Ephesians 4:8
“Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.”
Captivity is a state of being captured. We were under captivity; mankind was a captive of the devil, but when Jesus ascended up on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. He captured those who had been captured; He captured the captivity. You see the captivity in mankind because everything about captivity is a work of experts who are captains of the captivity.
The devil did a lot in mankind so the state of mankind after the fall has been a world of captivity. That anomaly was not dealt with until Jesus was raised from the dead. He was raised from the dead, He ascended up on high, then initiated captivity that we were all under and led it captive. He has the right to dispose of the captors and remove the captivity of the people. If He freed us from captivity just by releasing us from those who have held us captive, we would go back to our captivity.
Captivity is not bondage. There are two houses in the Old Testament that God redeemed His people from; Egypt which was the house of bondage where God wrought deliverance. God led the people out of Egypt and took them to the promised land but even after they got to the promised land, captors came, captured them and took them into captivity. The two houses are not the same, as the first house which is the house of bondage gave birth to Moses (the Law). The law came as a result of bondage.
As a result of the disobedience of the children of Israel in the land of promise, God brought those who would take them away into captivity. This does not refer to oppressors as seen in the season of the book of Judges. The season of Judges was characterized by the oppression of the people of God in the promised land and this gave birth to the season of the Kings. The order of the Kings was born, and God had expectations of the people of Israel, but they fell into idolatry. God was jealous and so He took them out of the land because they did not do well. The land needed their obedience for them to dwell in the land of promise. They lived below the recommendation of occupation, so they had to leave the land. They left the land and were taken captive.
Bondage is oppressive and grievous, but captivity is sweet and can take one away because one would lawfully submit to it. It is difficult to heal captivity unlike bondage that can be hated. It is difficult to hate captivity. Captivity can be likened to this world which the scriptures instruct us not to love (1 John 2:15).
When Israel was returning to find a clean priestly lineage, it was difficult because they had intermarried and broken laws of priesthood. God preserved a priest called Ezra, who was commissioned by Artaxerxes to teach Israel the law after the temple was built through the prophecy of Haggai and Zechariah.
Jesus dealt with both bondage and captivity. Bondage is lower but captivity is stronger because it involves the love (will) of the people. Being captured does not exactly mean slavery because it is captivating; it can be likened to someone who is raptured into something else.
The gifts of the spirit God gave are called “charisma” in Greek. Fivefold ministers must know how to capture people that Jesus led captive. Hence, anyone who stands in the fivefold has something around them. The Church cannot make a person come into the fivefold ministry, such a person must be called by God. Pastors can ordain bishops and deacons; they are not fivefold, they are extracts from the office of the Shepherd overseeing a local church. Being called has a direct tie to the Throne.
Ministers of the gospel who are genuinely called, are supposed to deal with a very high job that Satan did in the soul of man. That is the work of ministry. Jesus chose the fivefold ministry and put it upon men. Not all men are called into the fivefold ministry.
Jesus led captivity captive and he gave gifts to men. In the spirit, Jesus has done all that is necessary to lead captivity captive. So when a man is called into the fivefold, God would bring those whom He already led captive to him. There is a power keeping people around ministers to hear them. That is why it is difficult to scatter the flock from a minister of the gospel because it is Jesus that is keeping them.
Some other ministers do unscriptural things to get people, like trying to make wrong impressions in order to have a large audience. In the Body of Christ, there are currently ministries that are solely interested in selling platforms; merchandising the gospel with the thought of godliness being gain. Men should not sell platforms, because that is another way of capturing men. We should be purified from these things.
This is a message of hope that God would prepare a lot of Christians for. The devil does not want this work, but this is great hope being painted to us. In that season, many people from other religions, even the Jewish community, would turn to God. Jews are not moved by miracles; there is something they are looking for because they know the signs. They will see the sign of the Son of man amidst the Gentile church having the glory of God and the lamb.
Isaiah 60:1-3
“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. [2] For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. [3] And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.”
This is not about one preaching because people will be pulled.
The fivefold ministry was given to heal captivity. The devil did a lot to capture men. That captivity causes instability with God, even after you are filled with the Holy Ghost. To completely take it out, the fivefold ministry has to come into full expression of ministry. They should be able to preach a message that can destroy the captivity in them.
Jesus leading captivity captive does not mean that He had healed their captivity. Because He has power to subdue all things. He took them with their captivity, held them captive and gave gifts to men to heal the captured. The essence of this is so that these men would preach to the captured. The church consists of those who have been captured. Our captivity begins with the infilling of the Holy Ghost at New Birth. We come into a place where we are in a community of saints in the Lord’s captivity. Keeping the fivefold ministry in the church dispenses liberty to the captive. Jesus wants the captivity in people to be completely healed.
Ephesians 4:9-10
“(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? [10] He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)”
He fills all things because captivity is hell deep. This means the wisdom of captivity is as deep as hell. God had to send His Son there to tarry three days and three nights, and raise Him from the dead to train Him. Jesus went to hell to culminate the training of saving to the uttermost. He became the captain of our salvation after resurrection. Learning hell was part of the curriculum of Jesus because the things in men are hellish.
Hebrews 13:20-21
“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, 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 wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
To become a complete, perfect, great Shepherd, He had to descend. The Great Shepherd of the sheep is the mediator of the covenant.
Ephesians 4:11-13
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; [12] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: [13] Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ…”
The fivefold ministry ought to be high-powered agents to perfect the saints. That knowledge of the Son of God is what Jesus knows as a son, and we should have this knowledge. Meaning Jesus would reveal His knowledge to us.
In the days of the Apostles that Jesus revealed Himself to, this was achievable in them. Through scriptures we see that they got there and they achieved it. One of the evidence of this is that they produced seven churches (Rev. 1:4). Those seven churches are not ordinary; we presently do not have churches like that. Those seven churches are governed by stars.
Ephesians 4:1
“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called…”
A preacher of the gospel has to be imprisoned by the Lord. Some preachers are not prisoners anymore. When a preacher preaches another gospel, he has broken free from his chains. When a preacher is preaching the real gospel, a chain is around his neck. Everybody who would minister the true gospel must have a chain attached to his neck.
Ephesians 4:4-6
“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; [5] One Lord, one faith, one baptism, [6] One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
All of us who are born again are members of one body – the Body of Christ. The calling is one calling, not many callings, but the fivefold ministry is not one calling, its many callings.
Ephesians 4:7-11
“But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. [8] Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. [9] (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? [10] He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) [11] And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers…”
Jesus can take a soul from hell to heaven and make such a soul to sit on the Throne. The vocation is not fivefold ministry. When a person has been called into the fivefold ministry, he should not settle in it; it is the stewardship to the calling. All believers are called into one calling, into one vocation.
Ephesians 4:11-12
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; [12] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…”
This is the building of believers into the calling. The calling of the body is not fivefold ministry. The body is called for a ministry; one calling. That calling has a build-up unto its highest point. There is the first calling and there is the high calling of God. The first calling is not being called into the fivefold ministry but a calling to become like Christ.
Calling is a nature, not a gift of the Holy Spirit. We cannot just get into the high calling, we have to build on it. It means the Apostles are supposed to serve the calling; build the body of Christ into the calling.
The first calling is Christ. If you have not fulfilled that Christ calling, when he says walk worthy of your vocation, meaning walk worthy of what God has called you to be. It is a calling into a nature. Paul was travailing on the purpose and premises of this calling when he said to Galatians ‘my little children in whom I travail in birth till Christ is formed in you’ (Gal. 4:19).
Christ is not formed in us at new birth. This is not referring to the spirit; the spirit is a new man. To look like Christ is not to borrow tools, materials outside this man, it is what is in the man that is the material for building given to the saints in order for the saints to be formed. Jesus is actually life piled up.
Jesus can come to a baby and relate with the person who is just born again and the person would love Jesus. One thing with the Godhead is that they are very gentle, they do not force anything on anyone. We can be more aggressive than the Godhead. The Holy Ghost can be talking to a believer and she may just not obey. How many ministers have obeyed the Holy Ghost well? There is room in them for patience, and long suffering. They have faith. They know we will become. They just wait for us.
Ministers of the gospel must posses the right heart to save people. It takes time to possess what is called the heart of a Shepherd; the heart for ministry to save people. Where we err is in our hearts. If our hearts are not upright, we would not go far with God.
There are tongues that the Holy Ghost manifests for meals, there are tongues for the word of the knowledge of God and not just prayers. That is why it can break into understanding. This is found with Kenneth E. Hagin where he would speak in tongues and it would break into understanding. It is the spirit of God.
Tongues and Interpretation (1)
“It’s not peculiar with you, it’s not peculiar with you, it’s not peculiar with you, it’s not peculiar with you, for I stirred you saith the Lord to tell your testimony, even to tell the path that I have taken you through for it is a path that I am taking many through, for it is a part that I am dragging many through even many who hitherto till now have thought it is the devil, it is demons, it is misfortune of one sort or another that is responsible for their problems, that is responsible even for their setbacks, even ministers that I intend to call into true callings and true ministries. For many have been wrongly informed, for many have been wrongly taught and so they despise My dealings upon them, they despise even the operations of My mercy for to take them prisoners. I need to take you a prisoner, I need to make you My prisoner. For you to see Me, for you to carry My gospel you have to be My prisoner, I have to hold you captive, I have to lead you captive before I can trust you, for to purge things out of you, for to take things out of you, even things that would corrupt My word, even things that would make you misrepresent Me. Therefore saith the Lord, I stirred my servant for to raise even how I have dealt with him that you may know that I deal with men in this regard, that you might see Me for who I truly am. I am the one aback of your troubles, I am the one aback of your challenges, even what you call contradictions and failures, I am the one aback of it because I want to give you something better, I want to bring you even into true ministry, even true calling, ye, calling of things that are true, calling of things that are of Me, even in Me. I want you to see Me for what I am and what I truly am even as a minister. Therefore I say agree, agree. I brought you here to see that you might agree in the path and for the path that I am calling you. I want you to be a true minister, even a minister that I would adorn with the sandal of peace, that I would adorn even with the breastplate of righteousness, that I would adorn ye with the girdle of truth, that I would adorn, ye with the helmet of salvation, with the shield of faith, with the sword of the spirit, for to join forces with ministers like this even to bring the devil down and to bring Me back to the earth, to bring Me back to the church. I want to come back to the church, it is only prisoners that would allow Me. It is only prisoners that would cooperate with Me. I am the one holding you in prison, allow Me, that you might be part of the army that I am raising, an army of true ministers, ministers that don’t seek their own, ministers that don’t have their own, that don’t have their message but Me, it is all about me, it’s all about me, it’s all about me. All that has been said are things about how I deal with men that are truly called, check the scriptures, see the bible, it is prisoners, fellow prisoners, prisoners. Prisoners are those who will see the true gospel, the true gospel is within the confines of my prison yard, saith the Lord Jesus.”
One of the most vital tools and ingredients is the gift of the heart that can do the will of God. Many ministries and many ministers are in trouble today because they use their senses to interpret ministry. We should not fall into senses because senses are a product of carnality. If we do ministry after the sensual order, we would end up producing grass. God taught me this in those days of dealings – how the heart should be adjusted and I began to hate some things. I began to hate fame, not resist name but to hate it. I hate to be famous and that is one thing that tempts men. The man is more of a wife to Satan, he can easily be pulled. Women do not respond easily to the devil like men do; the masculine man because of ego is usually at the edge of trying to show strength. Satan can tell man what can make him feel elated. Pride is very close to a man.
God dealt with inner issues of the soul. If you ask me ‘what is the blueprint of this work?’ There is no blueprint; it is not my work. You cannot come closer to God if your heart is not coming close and the battle of the heart is not an ordinary battle. It was the heart that fell Nebuchadnezzar and turned him into a beast. It was the heart that fell Lucifer and turned him into a beast of iniquity “your heart was lifted up because of iniquity (Ezekiel 28:17)”. Satan is a master of heart battle.
If God does not help us to tame our hearts, and God does not supply the ingredients for us to hate what Satan offers, we will leave the people and use them as our own clothing for the future. When we make up our minds and have a right heart by the help of God, He would supply materials. You have a right heart in adjusting to the proper and accurate way. A minister must be dead; the journey to the throne is death.
One Man came, and before He came, He died. To become a man is death, but even after He came, He obeyed and obeyed unto death, even the death of the cross (Phil. 2:8). Death is not supposed to be fearful, death means separation from Satan so that we can possess a heart that can save the people. If our hearts are not right, we can easily use the people for our own grass glory. The more ministers of the gospel deal with their hearts, the more provision comes; the more you detach, the more provision runs after you. Practice it. If you discover something is alluring you, detach and you will see that it will come.
There are two types of heart to have in the scripture; the first is called “a new heart” and the second is “My heart”.
Ezekiel 36:26
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”
This is a heart for the ministry, this is the heart that can serve the Lamb. A new heart is what you call a pure heart to see God. The fact that a person has a pure heart does not mean that he immediately begins to see God. Such would put inside of you a new spirit. It is all there in the scriptures. Spirits are products that you get in the way of the Lord. The word is precept, it is different from the will. The word of God is different from the way of God. It is in the way you find spirit. Spirit means truth; it is water and spirit. You cannot find spirit except you have been led. I got spirit through leading in a way I did not want to go. It took time to produce a new heart, then God added a new spirit within me.
New heart, new spirit makes up the person of Christ. Upon the new heart there is a promise, which is life and godliness. God would then remove the heart of stone. One cannot say that he has a heart of flesh until the stone is removed. What defeats the heart of stone is to possess a new heart. Spirit means law. There is another word apart from precept, there is another word called spirit which makes the heart new. Water of the word that makes the spirit and another water that makes the heart pure. God would now put in you a new spirit.
When you say a minister of the gospel is blessed, he is not just sent, he is blessed before he is sent. Then God would give him a heart of flesh; the heart of flesh is the heart of God, after which they would put “my spirit”. My spirit is different from a new spirit.
Ezekiel 36:27-28
“And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. [28]And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.”
What you would be is ‘the promise’, you will be a people and what God will be to you is also a promise. When the spirit is given to you then you would be it, you save your heart.
Ezekiel 36:29-30
“I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. [30]And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.”
You can be clean and not saved. To really save a man from uncleanness, God needs to give him His spirit. You can be clean and go back, but when a man is saved, he will not go back. The first thing they ate when they got to the promised land is corn, the next thing is to find the fruitful vine of the field. All of these things are promises.
2 Corinthians 3:2-3
“Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: [3]Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.”
Ministers of the gospel, your heart! Even if you are in the bush, have a good heart. What is called ministry is the plate of your heart. Ministry is a preparation of the heart and the spirit upon. Ministry is the heart. What kind of heart? The heart of Christ and the heart of God.
Message ends.