Eternal Glorious Fountain Ministry (EGFM)
Programme: Anamnesis 2022 – Day 3 Morning Session
Date: Friday, 9th December 2022
Jesus is the greatest gift to mankind; He is the hope of living. We are not remembering the Lord as a baby but in His resurrected and exalted state. Every gift of men is through Jesus and as we appreciate Jesus, we must also thank God for them. We must learn the discipline of following the leading of the Spirit concerning staying under spiritual authority. Just as we do not choose our natural parents, we also do not choose our parents in the Lord; it is the Lord who places us under them.
We must not know our parents in the Lord after the flesh or relate with spiritual authority with carnal judgment. Prayer alone cannot shield us from the onslaught of the enemy in the coming years; it will take shade and covering. If we do not take heed, we may suffer casualties, physical and spiritual, and they will not be the Lord’s doing but a result of our omission. These are things that would turn men away from the faith; things that will change the convictions and sight of some. Let us therefore find grace to pray, be meek and to acknowledge and connect.
In Acts 7:1-3, Stephen gives the account of how the God of glory appeared to Abraham and called him out of his country, kindred, and into a land (Gen. 12:1, 17:1). Before Genesis 12:1 which was recorded in Haran, God had already called Abraham from the time he was in the Ur of the Chaldeans. There is a possibility that Abraham had forgotten the vision and God had to remind him of it.
Abraham was called to a vocation of glory and the appearance of God to him was for the purpose of glory, not for a physical land. Our vocation is a profession and that profession is a profession of glory (Heb. 3:1). God brought Abraham out of those environments because they could not allow him to receive the building of glory. He had to be called out of his father’s house so that the land that God had in mind to give him would be in a conducive environment.
The ‘promised land’ is different from the ‘land of promise’; the land is the focus of the former, while the promise is the focus of the latter. It is when one enters into the land that he can be given the conversation of promise. God gave Abraham a conducive environment because of fellowship. When Abraham got to the land, he built an altar and began to call upon the Lord so that the conversation of glory could begin.
Separation is glory. The separation that Abraham obtained by coming out of his father’s house was a glorious conversation. Even though Abraham was strange in that land, he had a hedge around him. Abraham is a model of the journey while Jesus is the ultimate model. God used Abraham’s life as a shadow or as an image of what He wants to do, which is to take us from the mystery of Christ to the mystery of the Father, and ultimately, to the mystery of God. Abraham fulfilled all these curricula while Jesus embodied all of it.
When Abraham left his father’s house, he went to a land where he was a stranger and the work of separation began in him. Thus, Abraham responded, in a shadow, to the mystery of Christ which is sanctification. God removed him from his father’s house, his country, and his kindred, and this is what the doctrine of Christ will do to a soul. No soul experiences the doctrine of Christ and still holds the customs and life of his father's land.
Ezekiel 36: 24 - 25 says, “For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. [25] Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.” This is similar to the call that Abraham received. Sanctification and cleansing are done to separate us from our idols, which are not physical images but the conversations of our country or kindred. Idols are the first vocation that Satan distributed to every kindred to prepare them for a higher vocation and they vary across families.
The God of glory appeared to Abraham to show him the end of the journey. Abraham might have connected in a degree to the end of that conversation but he had to be taken through the process. In the New Testament, the Apostles that Jesus Christ commissioned, especially Paul, knew the end of the commission before they were released for the apostolic work. They had seen the God of glory and they knew the principles and patterns to arrive at the end and to bring men there. However, these men also knew that the training of glory cannot be given all at once. Paul had the meat and strong meat but still fed the Corinthian church with milk because they were not ready for meat (1 Cor. 3:2).
If we do Christ well and respond to the washing and sprinkling of Christ, there is no way we will not appear odd amidst our natural kindred because the washing of Christ would have accomplished certain separations in us. When Abraham responded and began to follow the blueprint, thereby following the God of glory, God began to change his conversation.
Abraham to a degree responded to the dealing of Christ and became a Christ expression. This was evident in how he related with Lot. He did not strife with Lot over dividing material substances; they meant nothing to him because he was journeying inwardly. Abraham's blessings were not external but were inward conversations. If the God of glory appeared to Lot, he would not have chosen to follow the Lord because he was a proud man who lifted up his eyes (Gen. 13:10). Abraham did not strive with him, thus showing that he was a man of peace which is the conversation of Christ; the conversation of life and peace.
After this, God further proved Abraham to see if he was abiding in that law. He was notified of how Lot was in trouble so see if he would obey a higher conversation. Abraham did not hold his peace when he heard that Lot was in trouble. Instead, he was moved and gathered men from his house to rescue his brother, thus putting his life at risk to fight five kings. After Abraham did this, God moved Abraham to the next level because had been proven in the level of Christ and he showed brotherly love.
God was moving Abraham into a new thrust, into the process of everlasting life and everlasting conversations. Similarly, God has moved our company to the fellowship of everlasting life in the hope of Eternal life. The mystery of the Father is the fellowship of the Father and the Son, and God has commended this to our company to a degree. Witnesses of this life are present in a measure in our midst. We may not all be there but this knowledge is already forming life in some.
When God was dealing with Abraham, he was already looking for a day because he already saw glory (Heb. 11:9-10). He was shown a heavenly country and, by his encounter with the God of glory, he saw that country. The patriarchs saw promises and were persuaded of them (Heb. 11:13;16). Abraham must have seen the promises afar off as well, but the facilities for obtaining the promises were not available. God must have shown Abraham that it was through his seed that He would come and forgiveness of sins will come, so that the inheritance can be given.
Similarly, David, by his walk with God, was also looking for the day. In return, God said that He would give him sure mercies. Everyone unto whom the God of glory appeared saw the promises but they did not have the facility. Therefore, God hung the promises on their seed. Jesus is both the seed of Abraham and David. Jesus is not a gift to us alone but to all mankind (Gal. 3:16). It is on the account of Jesus Christ that many of the patriarchs could see the promise.
It is on the premise of Christ that we can begin to have fellowship with the promises of glory. Glory has promises, which are from glory to glory. These glory conversations are for Christ. It is Christ that can have fellowship with the realm of glory because the promise is to Abraham and his seed, which is Christ. “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:26-27). It is not everyone that has been baptized into Christ or put on Christ. This is not a water baptism but a baptism by doctrine. As we respond to doctrine, we are being baptized into Christ and, as we put on Christ, we are becoming a part of the seed called Christ.
Christ is the curriculum or person that can bring us into the realm of glory. It is only a soul who has obeyed the laws of the doctrine of Christ that the promises of glory can be commended to. If the doctrine of Christ is not obeyed from the heart, glory will not become as visible as it ought to be. Promises were given to Abraham and his seed, which is Christ. We need to land as Abraham’s seed (Christ) before conversations of promises can come.
The promises are built on the new covenant (Heb. 8:6). The new covenant is not delivered to a believer as soon as he is being born again; it takes time. The new covenant is a ministration of glory unto christs. Unless Christ has been formed in one, such a one cannot come into the new covenant properly because the new covenant is a ministration of righteousness. “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel After those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, And write them in their hearts: And I will be to them a God, And they shall be to me a people…” (Heb. 8:10). God cannot put His laws upon hearts that are not yet converted. A carnal man can neither receive the law of God, nor can he obey it because he is enmity with God (Rom. 8:7).
We are not immediately spiritual when we are born again. We need to first be baptized into Christ and be made Christ. This then changes us from carnal mindedness to spiritual mindedness, which in turn brings us into peace so that Christ can write upon us. We must learn the doctrine of Christ to change from carnality. It is after we are converted that we are brought into the fellowship of glory. Glory is not a shining; it is the writing of laws. God will not begin the writings of glory upon a heart when the heart is not set right.
Glory is the exhibition of God's incorruptible nature. Acts 13:31-34 speaks of how God raised Jesus up. This is not just raising from the dead, like Lazarus was raised, but a raising that could not be corrupted. Jesus is the embodiment of a writing that death could not kill. God promised this thing to David, which is still the same promise of everlasting life to Eternal life.
These are conversations of glory that we ought to be panting for so that we will beat and overcome corruption. Those apostles knew that salvation is everlasting life. They did not make a mistake. The message the apostles brought to them to be made incorruptible is everlasting life, and that is what God is bringing to us as a company. We must not judge ourselves unworthy of it. These people knew the Bible but they lacked wisdom for discernment. We need to pray to be subject to the law of God. We will enter the season of peace with God.
Rounding off: Reverend Kayode Oyegoke:
Without Christ, there is no conversation of glory. All the five fold ministries were given for the perfecting of the saints and the work of the ministry (Eph. 4:11-12). This ministry is everlasting life. The perfecting of saints is the process of creating a perfect man, while the unity of the faith is a tool. The knowledge of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God are both tools for this purpose. While the former is for the perfecting of the saints unto a perfect man, the former, because it is from fullness to measure, must be from glory to glory. Christ is what qualifies us. Therefore, we cannot omit it, otherwise we would have no strength to go into glory.
Flesh or a carnal man is enmity against God. A carnally-minded person cannot have peace, and does not agree with God. So, God has to first give such His peace which is Christ. There are two doctrines necessary for this: one for the perfecting of the saints and the other for the work of ministry. This ministry is glory (2 Cor. 4:1).
In the spirit, ministry is what one beholds. Christ is not that dimension because the ministry of Christ is to see, and this is different from beholding. It is seeing through a glass darkly. However, the ministry of everlasting life is beholding, not seeing. Seeing is what leads to beholding. Another word for beholding is ‘looking into’. When a man beholds, he is changed. Angels wanted to look into certain things because they wanted to change (1 Pet. 1:12).
As James 1:25 says, “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” Anyone who forgets will not continue the work. The work is consistently beholding as in a glass. A doer of the work shall be blessed in what he is doing – to look into. There is a release of energy that demands obedience to stay beholding. Anyone that is called to come look is elevated and we have to first see before we can be asked to look or behold.
Jesus said, “And he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:19-21). When He is manifesting, we will be beholding because he will come clear and be magnified. Corruption came as a result of beholding. To have strength to conquer corruption, we must have the capacity to behold. We have beheld corruption for thousands of years. But Christ can undo all of that if we behold, even for only ten years.
Ministers need to change, even bodily. If they do not change, they would be unable to present the ministry. Also, they should not preach themselves. The people that have the ministry are ambassadors to the churches. They are people that have changed. God cannot place the blessing of everlasting life on just anyone. There is something that ministers must have, which is the glory of the Lord. God will bless us and wear us with a change of raiment.
Blessings!
Summary
1. We must learn the discipline of following the leading of the Spirit concerning staying under spiritual authority. Just as we do not choose our natural parents, we also do not choose our parents in the Lord; it is the Lord who places us under them.
2. Abraham was called out of his country and kindred to a vocation of glory and the appearance of God to him was for the purpose of glory, not for a physical land (Acts 7:1-3; Gen. 12:1; Gen. 17:1). God brought Abraham out of those environments because they could not allow him to receive the building of glory.
3. Similar to the call that Abraham received, God has also determined to take us into our own land and to cleanse us from filthiness and idols (Eze. 36:24-25). Sanctification and cleansing are done to separate us from our idols, which are not physical images but the conversations of our country or kindred.
4. If we do Christ well and respond to the washing and sprinkling of Christ, like Abraham, we will appear odd amidst our natural kindred because the washing of Christ would have accomplished certain separations in us.
5. Abraham to a degree responded to the dealing of Christ and became a Christ expression. This was evident in how he related with Lot and did not strive with Lot over the division of material substances which meant nothing to him because he was a man of peace and had the conversation of life and peace.
6. It is Christ that can have fellowship with the realm of glory because the promise is to Abraham and his seed which is Christ (Gal. 3:16). Glory has promises and it is only on the premise of Christ that we can begin to have fellowship with the promises of glory.
7. Christ is the curriculum or person that can bring us into the realm of glory. It is only a soul who has obeyed the laws of the doctrine of Christ that the promises of glory can be commended to. If the doctrine of Christ is not obeyed from the heart, glory will not become as visible as it ought to be.
8. The promises are built on the new covenant (Heb. 8:6). The new covenant is a ministration of glory unto christs; it is not delivered to a believer as soon as he is being born again. God cannot put His laws upon hearts that are not yet converted (Heb. 8:10). A carnal man can neither receive the law of God nor can he obey it because he is enmity with God (Rom. 8:7).
9. We are not immediately spiritual when we are born again. We need to first be baptized into Christ and be made Christ. This then changes us from carnal-mindedness to spiritual-mindedness, which in turn brings us into peace, so that Christ can write upon us. It is after we are converted from carnality that we are brought into the fellowship of glory.
10. Glory is the exhibition of God's incorruptible nature. Acts 13:31-34 speaks of how God raised Jesus up, not just from the dead like Lazarus was raised, but a raising that could not be corrupted. We ought to be panting for conversations of glory so that we will beat and overcome corruption.
Joseph Adesanya - 1 year ago