Eternal Glorious Fountain Ministry (EGFM)
Programme: School of the Spirit (SOS)
Date: Thursday, 17th November 2022
It was not easy for the disciples of Jesus to discern Him in the flesh. We may not appreciate the disciples as we ought to because we may think that we will be able to follow our Lord Jesus better if we were in their stead. Jesus was a man of the Spirit, and one will need a lot of discernment to be able to follow Him.
The twelve disciples were carefully chosen or selected by the Father. Jesus had to wait and pray through the night to receive instructions concerning those who have been chosen to follow Him. This was when the Father gave Him all the names of those He had chosen to come to Him. No man can come to Jesus except the Father draws him. Those who were eyewitness of our Lord Jesus’ earthly ministry were chosen by the Father.
Saul of Tarsus was alive in the days of the earthly ministry of Jesus, but he would not have followed our Lord Jesus if he had seen Him physically. He was a Pharisee studying under Gamaliel; he was exposed to things that would not allow him discern Jesus in the flesh. Jesus was a sign on earth and it was not easy to discern Him.
The Lord chose the twelve disciples firstly to be with Him and they gradually began to know Him. Though the Father chose the disciples to know Jesus, that does not mean that they did so immediately. It took time or a while of being with the Lord.
Jesus is a sign that a man cannot understand except the Father has chosen such a one. One of the ways to prove that the Father chose the disciples is that they could receive the revelation of who our Lord Jesus truly is. It is evidence. “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matt. 16:16). Peter discerned Jesus by inspiration, not as a result of spiritual growth that comes by fellowship. And when he said it, the other disciples agreed to that. Then Jesus said He will be building His Church by revelation, and as we discern Him, we are being raised. One thing we should desire is that we will be able to discern the Lord.
God sent our Lord Jesus as a sign to the world. Everything about our Lord Jesus on earth was a sign. “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14). The sign here is that Mary will conceive without the aid of any man and the child shall be a Son of God. Everything about our Lord Jesus was a sign from the beginning to the end. He was a sign to the world but one that the world cannot read or discern. He was a sign that was very difficult to understand. God had to carefully choose those who will surround Him so that they can be raised to a point where they can discern the Lord. If not, they would not have been able to bear witness of the earthly ministry of Jesus. This is because it is a sign and it is deep.
“Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.” (Isaiah 7:15). This means that Jesus’ life sojourning on earth, or how He will arrive at being able to choose good and refuse evil, is a sign in demonstration. Men do not know what is good and what is evil. Jesus’ whole life was a sign that is very difficult to read.
“All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.” (Matt 11:27). What distinguished or separated the Son are the things that the Father gave to Him. The things the Father gave to Jesus are signs and that is why He could signify the Father. It is because our Lord has those things that no man can ordinarily know or discern Him. The Father is eagerly waiting to commit those same things to our hands. When we begin to use those things, men will cease to know us. This is what it means to be taken from among men (Heb. 5:1).
We are still found among men because we still have things in common with them. Jesus said, “I am not of this world, I am from above” (John 8:23). Jesus is from above because He has things that are of the above. Physically, our Lord Jesus looks like every other man. However, if we are to discern Him based on physical features like His height, we would make mistakes. The point or beginning of discernment is the fact that the Father gave Jesus things. What Jesus houses within Himself are the things needed to discern Him. They are all things of God. When a man receives these same things, men will cease to know us.
Our problem is that we want men to know us. However, as we receive things of the Father, men will begin to cease to know us. This is because we will become a sign. A sign that men would desire to read. Any man who is ascending to the Father becomes a sign. It is a sign that only those who are meant to ascend can discern and read.
There are those who are of the earth (or of this world) and there are those who are from beneath, depending on the kind of things one possesses. It is not easy to discern things that are beneath; they are hellish things. What a man is holding in his soul will determine where he is from. It has to take the Lord Jesus to discern who the Pharisees were, He said they are from beneath. That was a spiritual reality, not an insult as some may think.
Today we celebrate Paul who was Saul of Tarsus, but we must understand that he was once from beneath. The Lord had to go that deep to bring him out. John the Baptist referred to the Pharisees as brood of vipers (Matt. 23:33). That was a discernment as it is not easy to see this because of the piety of the Pharisees. Vipers will couch by the door to strike the heel of anyone who wants to enter so that they do not enter. Jesus said that they stand by the door, they would not enter the Kingdom of God and would also not allow those who want to enter to do so (Luke 11:52). That is devilish.
Our Lord Jesus said that He is from above, because He received things from the Father who is above all. These things of the Father are things meant for our spiritual lift; a man cannot receive them and still remain on earth. A man who receives them will ascend in his soul.
This season is a season of ascension. The things being given to us are things from above. Jesus was going to the Father as He was receiving things from Him. A man cannot break through spiritual gravity except he receives a lift. David said, "who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?..." (Ps. 24:3). If there is no opposing force against man’s ascension, David would not ask such a question. Naturally, men do not want to ascend, and it is because of the weight of the glories of this present life. No matter a man’s status or exaltation in the society, he is still from beneath if he has not received things meant for ascension.
One of the strongest signs of our Lord Jesus was His walk. It is one of the most difficult things to read or discern. John the Baptist said he could not discern His path; it was a mysterious path. Prior to the coming of our Lord Jesus, no one has been able to find the path to get to God. No man has seen God at any time except the Son (John 1:18). Jesus is the author and finisher of the path to God (Heb. 12:2).
The walk of our Lord Jesus was a mysterious walk. The miracles our Lord Jesus did are not all that the synoptic gospels are about. Many see the miracles physically, but by revelation, we can see the signs of those miracles. All of the miracles of Jesus were signs at various strengths and degrees. One of the strongest signs of our Lord Jesus was the path He walked. How can a soul know how to ascend to God? One of the mistakes we would make when Jesus said that He was going to His Father is His physical absorption to heaven. However, going to the Father is not referring to His physical departure from the earth.
“A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.” (John 16:16). The first 'a little while' when they would not see Him was the time when He would go to hell. However, there is the risen Lord who is in a place. The heavens are withholding Him because of the things He has. God will withhold anyone who belongs to Him. It can only take a man who is ascending to see the risen Lord. The Lord is Emmanuel, which means that He is with us.
The Lord departed for a while but came back in a way that can only take souls who are ascending to see Him. He is a sign set for the rising of some and for falling of some (Luke 2:34). Some things have to fall and some things have to rise. Our Lord Jesus who is resurrected is a sign for those who are rising.
The feet of Jesus were beautiful feet and it was a sign that was difficult to read. John the Baptist said that he could not untie the latchet of Jesus’ shoes. The latchet of Jesus’ shoes was a sign of His walk; no prophet had walked the way He did. Some temple guards were sent to trap Jesus, but they stood still and were listening to Jesus. Jesus slew all of them with the sword of His mouth. When they returned to those who sent them, they acknowledged that no man has ever spoken the way Jesus did. Jesus was a wonder and a sign. If Jesus’ words could make men wonder at Him, how much more the things that His feet were doing in the spirit.
The most difficult thing to read was what the feet of our Lord Jesus was doing in the spirit. A man cannot ordinarily find how to walk in a manner on earth, such that he will escape the world or sin and death. Prior to our Lord Jesus, no soul knew how not to die spiritually or to escape sin and death. Jesus was escaping death by every step He took. Jesus was perfect in everything. He was blameless; Satan tried everything but could not find any fault in Him. It was difficult to fault our Lord Jesus because He did everything well. Jesus understood the path, He understood how to escape death. We must understand the path that Jesus walked. Many believers don’t even know that there is something called the path of the Lord. Those who have heard of it do not value the path. It takes mercy to discern the path.
One of the greatest mercies we have found is to know Him who is the Way. The Way is not a place but a person. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life…" (Jn. 14:6). The way communicates truth to a man. Jesus said to them who believed in Him, "...if you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed (Jn. 8:31). It is not enough to believe in the Lord Jesus; our continuation in His words is the way. Whosoever finds grace to continue in the way is a disciple. One cannot be a disciple of Jesus by mouth, it has to be in deed. It has to be by continuing in the word.
The word is given to us as a way. When this way falls on us, this is what makes us disciples. “Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.” (Isaiah 8:16). When the testimony is bound, it becomes a covenant. The Lord can only bind up the testimony and seal the law among a company of disciples.
We must find the path of the Lord and continue in it. It is possible to find the Lord. However, we will only find the Lord when we seek Him with all our hearts. We cannot seek the Lord with all our hearts in one day. As we encounter the Lord, we give our hearts. We cannot give a portion of our hearts if the Lord does not encounter us. The Lord must have wrestled with us and prevailed for us to give our lives to Him. This is the same way God wrestled with Jacob from the house of Laban.
“Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.” (Isaiah 8:18). Jesus wants to make us signs and wonders. A man who is being taken from among men is becoming a sign and also become a wonder. This is a soul that is ascending by the reason of the things that Jesus is giving.
“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.” (Rev. 12:1, 3). The woman is a wonder that is about to give birth to a sign. This woman is a Church, although not the entire Church. This is also not referring to physical Israel. They are the virgin Church. It is not easy to raise a virgin Church in this generation. A virgin Church is a Church that has denounced this world, and thereby, her virginity has been restored. Every soul has been disvirgined by this world, and the soul must be a disciple of truth for it to be restored.
The dragon too was a wonder and it can only take a wonder to match or beat him. The Church that will be a wonder is one that will be able to match or beat the antichrist. That is the Church that the gate of hell cannot prevail against. The beast or antichrist is a gate of hell. So this Church must possess an antidote of everything that the antichrist will possess. It is amongst this Church that the man-child company will be found; those are the signs. A sign is higher than a wonder.
The dragon was a wonder wanting to devour a sign. So that it will be written, “we have not seen our signs” (Ps. 74:9). The dragon was not afraid of the woman because they are both wonders, but because of what she was carrying. The dragon was angry because he could not get what the woman was carrying.
The virgin Church is a heavenly Church. The things that the present day Church exalt are not things of the right hand of God, neither are they things from above. It is hard to find a Church today who will consistently discuss things above for years without distractions. A Church that can do this is a virgin Church; they have been written up and that is why such a Church can appear in heaven. A man would not appear in heaven if the things in his soul are earthly. Where we appear is a result of what we are trapping in our souls.
We should find the path and follow it. As we walk, our needs will be met but that should not be our primary or day-to-day discussion. We should go beyond just understanding the things we are hearing to internalising them until they become ways in our hearts. Those are the prayers that the Lord wants the Church to be engaged in praying, and He will answer such prayers quickly. We are supposed to be signs and wonders.
When a man becomes a sign, he cannot be understood by fallen spirits and the dragon. The man-child company were showing their spiritual estate on earth but fallen spirits could not understand them. They have become a mystery or a riddle that cannot be solved. Our Lord Jesus is not going to be the only one who would be a sign, but also the children that the Father would give to Him. To be given to Jesus does not refer to the time we got born again, we must ascend to where He is. We must go up.
Jesus prayed that we should come to where He is, then He will receive us. The way heaven received Jesus is the way He also wants to receive us to God (Acts 3:21). Eyes have not seen the things that God has prepared for us, which is for us to become a sign. The Lord is our portion, which is not on earth but in heaven.
Blessings!
Summary
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“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14). God sent our Lord Jesus as a sign to the world, but the world cannot read or discern Him. Everything about Him on earth was a sign and it is very difficult to understand it.
-
The things the Father gave to Jesus are signs; and that was why He could signify the Father (Matt 11:27). No man could ordinarily know or discern our Lord Jesus because of the things He received from the Father. The Father is eagerly waiting to commit those same things to our hands.
-
Our problem is that we want to be carnally known by men. However, as we receive things of the Father, men will begin to cease to know us. This is because we will become a sign, and men will curiously desire to read us. Any man who is ascending to the Father becomes a sign.
-
David said, "who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?..." (Ps. 24:3). If there is no opposing force against man’s ascension, David would not ask such a question. Naturally, men do not want to ascend, and it is because of the weight of the glories of this present life.
-
One of the strongest signs of our Lord Jesus was His walk. It is one of the most difficult things to read or discern. Prior to the coming of our Lord Jesus, no one has been able to find the path to get to God (John 1:18). Jesus is the author and finisher of the path to God (Heb. 12:2).
-
“Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.” (Isaiah 8:18). Jesus wants to make us signs and wonders. A man who is being taken from among men is becoming a sign and also a wonder.