Eternal Glorious Fountain Ministry (EGFM)
Believers' Convention 2022 (DAY 4 - Morning Session)
Date: Wednesday, 10th August 2022
We are at the end of this age, therefore we need the wisdom of God so that our conducts, words and activities will be orchestrated by the spirit. The realm of the spirit is not chaotic but orderly. For this reason, we have to be people whom the Spirit of God has laid hold on. If the Spirit of God cannot constrain us from certain tendencies, He would not be able to move us when it matters. There is the place of governance and setting things in order, but in the midst of this, we must make room for the Lord. This is because the Spirit of God is not a religious Spirit. We must be able to maintain and sustain the move of the Spirit.
The Azusa Street Revival is one of the greatest outpouring of the Spirit ever experienced on the earth. Through this move, God broke down racism and opened the floodgates to the Information Technology (IT) era in America. He used that move to lift America. However, the move was derailed by a lack of government. People started giving and receiving false prophecies, and after a while, witchcraft set in.
We are living in the end of the age which is typified by harvest. At the moment, we are witnessing the harvest of darkness. This is a time when the world will continue to experience the surge of darkness and evil more than ever before. We see terrorist activites, banditry, political upheavals and economic shakedowns in nations of the world, even nations that have not seen such inflations in years. This is why we should not live our lives based on the economic standards of this world. Every aspect of our lives should be driven by the authority and the power of the word of God.
“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.” (Isa. 60:2). The end of the age is typified by darkness. But our response to this should be to arise and shine, for the glory of God is risen upon us. In this same time of the eruption of darkness in the earth, the nations will experience an outbreak of light. Although darkness may seem to gain ground for a while, the kingdom of God will wax strong and eventually, light will prevail. Through the Church, God’s kingdom will submerge the earth.
In this end of the age, sons of wickedness will emerge in the earth; they will be people who are mature in wickedness. But at the same time, sons of the kingdom are also being raised; this is the essence of Believers’ Convention. These sons of the kingdom will live in the likeness of their Father. The most relevant cry in the realm of the spirit in this end of the age would be, “Who is like God?” and it will be a challenge to darkness in the church.
God is not interested in empire builders, neither is He interested in those who like to look good. He is not interested in Christians who have political influence or affluence. He is only interested in raising people who are like Him. We cannot be like Him overnight but we must become more like Him progressively. This is the cry of heaven and the groaning of the nations. The groaning of the nations is a cry for help and survival, but the only class of people who have been designed by heaven to bring liberation to the nations are those who are like God.
“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matt. 24:3). The disciples were not Christians without depth. But today, the body of Christ is flooded with Christians who do not have depth. Such believers are only after their natural needs being met. The concern and emphasis of the body of Christ should be the same as the concern of the disciples in the verse above. This does not mean that God is not concerned about our natural needs, but His concerns go deeper than those needs.
“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.” (Matt. 24:4). For the Church to survive and become all that God wants her to be, she must be spiritually intense and prophetically discerning. The first operation of the dragon will be deception and He will take so many unawares. He will lead many astray, even those who started out well. To be deceived also means to be susceptible to the seduction of evil spirits. Man will not be led astray if his heart is not a vacuum (or an idle space). When we wander without sight and direction, we become prey to the deceiver. Therefore, we must guard our hearts with truth and be inoculated by it. This is the only way we can be shielded from the deceiver.
“All these are the beginning of sorrows. [9] Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.” (Matt. 24:8-9). The word ‘sorrows’ in this verse refers to agitations or birth pangs. Although they are orchestrated by the enemy, they are also permitted by the Lord. Satan still serves God’s purposes but God drew boundaries for him. The eruption of darkness on the earth is not the driver to the end. The end is the consummation of this dispensation and era, but it has not yet come because it is not the dragon that will bring about the end. The end of the age is a time of confrontation and conflict. Then, we will see angels of darkness rise up against angels of light. We will see the emergence of princes on earth and the princes of the power of the air will wage war against the princes of God’s kingdom. It will be a battle of sons.
“Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience…” (Eph. 2:2). The word ‘children’ in this scripture refers to ‘sons’. The agenda of darkness is to conflict and hinder the fulfillment of the intent of God and raise sons of darkness. Disobedience refers to defiance and rebellion against God. It also means opposition to the will of God. Sons of disobedience can be raised by sermons; this is why we have to be discerning and watchful. Our prophetic antenna must be well stretched. We must develop spiritual capacity because it is only those who know their God that shall be strong and do exploits.
“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” (Matt. 24:12). Iniquity is not outright sin; it may even seem laudable and generous on face value. It is a form of godliness that may appear righteous and humble but it is lawlessness and illegality. At the time when iniquity is on the rise, the love for God and the desire to do His pleasure will grow cold. The company that will survive these onslaughts of darkness in these days of ultimate confrontation are those who are being saved (Matt. 24:13). In times of war, conflict, poverty, and economic crises, their souls are being saved. Therefore, we must allow everything we go through become instruments for the salvation of our souls.
Some of the crises that Nigeria is going through are permitted by the Lord. He permitted them because He wants to call the nation’s attention and wants to call up the Church (the body of Christ) in it. The Lord also wants the Church to be ready for right governance. There is a level of civilisation that comes with the right governance. If the Church and the people are not ready, the church will be too full because it would have opened its gates to wicked spirits in heavenly places. There is something about the concern of heaven over Nigeria and that is why the Lord is not letting go.
“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” (Matt. 24:14). What is going to drive humanity and all the purposes of God toward the point of finality is the accuracy of biblical truths. It is the gospel of the kingdom and it is the emphasis of heaven. We must proclaim what heaven is echoing. This is the only thing that will raise the body of Christ towards the finish.
“And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” (Isa. 2:3). The Zion Church is an embodiment of the law of God. The Lord is weaving His law into our souls and the word of the Lord is downloading His prophetic counsel and intent into our souls. This is the making of Zion. The governmental authority to entrench God’s will and pleasure in the earth rests upon His law. It will not rest on the tablet of the law or the scripture of the law, but on the engraving of the law in the heart. The engraving of the law in the heart is equivalent to the circumcision of the heart. This is the taking away of the foreskin of the soul so that the word of God can be written on our hearts and we can become one with the Lord.
God is raising us to know Him in person. He is raising us to be people who have been acquainted with Him. The whole essence of revelation knowledge is to bring us into oneness with God. If we do not become one with Him, we can never be like Him. Understanding is prophetic discernment. God is raising a church that is prophetic; even a church that can understand times and seasons, the culture of the kingdom, and the plans and intents of God.
We have all been called to partake of grace and experience salvation, but not everyone will experience it. The people who will experience this great salvation are those who will submit themselves to the scrutiny of the Spirit. The chosen ones will allow the Spirit of God to work out their salvation in them, in fear and trembling (Philipp. 2:12). God is raising a church that must desire glory. She must make herself ready, knowing that the longing of the Father is to build and raise a habitation where His glory will be domiciled. God wants to raise glory carriers.
“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…” (Heb. 1:3). The Lord Jesus is the heir of all things and He came down to the earth to earn this inheritance. Therefore, He went through the preparations and sufferings of the cross. He eventually became the brightness of the Father’s glory and the express image of His person. Our high calling is to become the brightness of God’s glory, and His glory and essence ought to be epitomized in us. Express image refers to character or the exact likeness of the essence of God. If God does not shape His character in us, His glory will not rest.
We ought to become like the Lamb. When we die one death, we are being prepared for another level of death. We have to die many deaths because ‘self’ has many lives. The whole essence of revelation knowledge is to kill us. Glory is reserved for those who constantly celebrate their own funerals. This will be done by the outworking of grace but we must surrender ourselves. Revelation knowledge is the sword of the spirit for the slaughtering of the flesh.
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. [19] For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” (Rom. 8:18-19). We must suffer to become sons. Creation is groaning because it has been subjected to pain by the intent of God, not the devil. If creation is not being buffeted, God will continue to be despised. However, God is going to teach creation a lesson. Everything will fail: knowledge, systems, influence and economies. There will be wars in the cities and trouble at the borders. Then, creation will have no other choice but to turn to God.
Creation is in excruciating pain of unbearable proportions, and will desperately gasp for breath and palpitate for survival. The whole world is cascading into a never-ending sequence of crises and unpredictability. Creation is groaning in agitation and pain. This groaning is a pain of vanity and a cry of agony. Moral bankruptcy is also one of the pains of vanity. So when we see excesses in the society, it means the soul is agonizing and needs help. The approach of the church in such situations should not be in judgment but in mercy. However, we will not be able to rise up to the occasion if we do not grow.
“And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” (Rom. 8:23). We must be in a state of perpetual groaning. The basis for our groaning is that mortality must be swallowed up by life. The emphasis of heaven is Eternal life because the church must burst into life, in order to bring deliverance to the nations. Therefore, there must be groanings within us.
“Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” (John 5:19-21). The Son can do nothing of Himself. We cannot come into the stature of the authority of the Son if we do not constantly come to the state of brokenness. We must be daily emptied of ‘self’ because this is the criteria for the Father to show Himself to us. We will not see what the Father does if we continue to reflect the nature of ‘self’ to the Father.
Sight is the reward of brokenness and it is in two levels. There is a sight that comes by the illumination of the spirit through the word. This is the first sight and it prepares us for the second sight. The second sight is the conditioning of the soul as a result of what God has opened one’s eyes to. When the soul has been configured and we are becoming like God, we start seeing the Father for who He is. And as we see Him, we shall become like Him on the earth.
“And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.” (John 5:27). The authority to execute judgment is given to the Son because He now has life in the same manner that the Father does. At the new birth, we had a level of the life of God. However, God wants us to have zoe in the same manner that the Father does. We will not come into this if we do not daily experience the quickening spirit in our souls. It is the quickening spirit in our souls that will ultimately culminate in the redemption of our bodies and ultimately, we would have life in the same manner that the Father does. The agenda of heaven is to raise us as a people who will be like God.
Blessings!
Summary
1. In this end of the age, sons of wickedness will emerge in the earth; which are people who are mature in wickedness. But at the same time, sons of the kingdom are also being raised. These sons of the kingdom will live in the likeness of their Father.
2. The first operation of the dragon will be deception and He will take so many unawares (Matt. 24:4). When we wander without sight and direction, we become prey to the deceiver. Therefore, we must guard our hearts with truth.
3. The Lord permits ‘sorrows’ (Matt. 24:8-9) or agitations or birth pangs, although they are orchestrated by the enemy. The end of the age is a time of confrontation and conflict. It will be a battle of sons, princes and angels.
4. The agenda of darkness is to hinder the fulfillment of the intent of God and raise sons of darkness and disobedience (Eph. 2:2). Disobedience refers to defiance and rebellion against God and opposition to the will of God.
5. Iniquity is a form of godliness that may appear righteous and humble but it is lawlessness and illegality. At the time when iniquity is on the rise, the love for God and the desire to do His pleasure will grow cold (Matt. 24:12).
6. The Lord is weaving His law into our souls for the making of the Zion church (Isa. 2:3). The engraving of the law in the heart is equivalent to the circumcision of the heart, so we can become one with the Lord.
7. God is raising us to be people who know His Person and have been acquainted with Him. The whole essence of revelation knowledge is to bring us into oneness with God, so we can be like God.
8. The people who will partake of the great salvation are those who will submit themselves to the scrutiny of the Spirit. They will allow the Spirit of God to work out their salvation in them, in fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12).
9. God is raising a church that must desire glory. She must make herself ready, knowing that the longing of the Father is to build and raise a habitation where His glory will be domiciled.
10. The Lord Jesus is the heir of all things. He came down to the earth to earn this inheritance. He eventually became the brightness of the Father’s glory and the express image of His person through His preparations and sufferings (Heb. 1:3).
11. When we die one death, we are being prepared for another level of death. We have to die many deaths because ‘self’ has many lives. Revelation knowledge is the sword of the spirit for the slaughtering of the flesh.
12. We must suffer to become sons. Creation is groaning because it has been subjected to pain by the intent of God, not the devil (Rom. 8:18-19). This buffeting is so that creation can turn to God.
13. We also must be in a state of perpetual groaning so that mortality must be swallowed up by life (Rom. 8:23). The church must come into life, in order to bring deliverance to the nations.
14. The Son can do nothing of Himself (John 5:19-21). We can only come into the stature of the authority of the Son if we constantly come to the state of brokenness and be daily empty of ‘self’.
15. Sight is the reward of brokenness and it is in two levels. There is a first sight that comes by the illumination of the spirit through the word. The second sight conditions the soul. After this configuring, we start seeing Him and we become like Him.
16. The authority to execute judgment is given to the Son because He now has life in the same manner that the Father does (John 5:27).
17. The daily experience of the quickening spirit in our souls will culminate in the redemption of our bodies and ultimately, we would have life in the same manner that the Father does.