Eternal Glorious Fountain Ministry (EGFM)
Programme: Believers’ Convention 2023 (Day 2 - Morning Session)
Date: Monday, 7th August 2023
Speaker 2: Reverend Olabode Busuyi
Transcript Excerpt
2 Samuel 18:22-33 tells a tale of two men. After Absalom’s revolt against David, Joab and the rest of his brethren were to lead the war against rebellion. It happened that after Absalom was hanged, the news was to be brought to David. Ahimaaz had the message but did not have the skill or understanding of how to deliver it; hence, Joab asked him to stay back and sent Cushi instead to deliver the message to the king. Cushi had the message and the skill of delivering it. Upon pressing his way, Joab reluctantly allowed Ahimaaz to go. Ahimaaz outran Cushi and arrived first at the king, but he could not deliver the tiding. It is one thing to have tidings, but it is another to have “tidings ready”.
Every minister has a measure of tidings. However, when God sends men, He sends men who have tidings ready. Bringers of tidings are agents or carriers of what God intends to say – the gospel. The disciples of Jesus had the authority to preach the Lord Jesus, because they were sent and fully bred. Others who were with Jesus, who went in and out with Him, also saw Him but they were not separated to carry tidings. They could preach Jesus but it would not carry the authority of one who is sent.
The Father is waiting to receive sons. Irrespective of how long one has been in the process of growth, there is a specific end-product the Father is waiting to receive. This is the work the Holy Ghost ought to accomplish in the life of the believer. If after many years of His work in the believer’s life and such does not become a son, it amounts to a wasted effort.
The greatest joy of heaven is that a man has access into the kingdom of God. The battle to become God’s building is not just for one to hate sin, but that one comes into the realm of fullness of joy. What heaven celebrates is everlasting joy – gladness. Hence Paul’s prayers for the churches, “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,” (Gal. 4:19). Paul’s prayers were a product of apostolic insight into God’s expectation. He knew that if Christ was not formed in God’s children, the enemy can still devour them.
The gospel is a vision in the heart of God before the world began. The gospel or the tiding is from understanding to understanding. This is not natural understanding but spiritual. In ministry, understanding is key. Without it, we would not do the job well. And if we do, it will not produce the fruit God intends us to.
Luke was a perfect follower for understanding (Luke 1:3). To be a bringer of tidings, more than little understanding is needed; we need perfect understanding. Understanding is not based on our intellectual capacity, else the gospel of Jesus will be for only the Greeks (1 Cor. 1:26). Faith answers from spiritual intelligence. We need spiritual wisdom and understanding for spiritual intelligence.
“And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. [47] And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.” (Lk. 2:46-47). Understanding comes before answers. At age 12, Jesus was Christ, because only a Christ can know the Father’s business. The learning of Christ justifies us and makes us holy – takes away sin. All that Jesus asked the doctors were things He already knew; He only wanted to know whether they were reasoning at the same level He was, and moreso, He provided the answers.
Paul prayed for the Church to be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding (Col. 1:9). This implies that he who would minister to them must have been so built, because one cannot give what one does not have. Nonetheless, prayer, study and listening to messages alone does not bring this understanding to one. Although doing those things are important, it is still a function of the choice of the Lord Jesus to give understanding to a man, just like He chose Paul (Acts 22:14). Paul had to be apprehended for him to get the gospel, and even called it ‘his’ gospel (Rom. 14:25; Eph. 3:4). Paul singlehandedly laid the foundation of the Church of Jesus Christ, which no one else, including himself, can lay otherwise. He did it under the supervision of the Spirit, not by himself. That was why he said that if any comes to preach any other gospel, such should be accursed (Gal. 1:9).
The gospel assignment is not our business, but God’s business, and He chooses to do it the way He wants. All that is required of us is our agreement and alignment. Salvation is ready to be revealed at the last time (1 Pet. 1:5) What God wants to do is bigger than us. Entering the Kingdom (by understanding) is the most difficult thing. We can have an idea of it but there are many things we may not be seeing around it.
The gospel is God’s business; all we need to do is agree with heaven to do what God wants to do. We must not manage the things of the Spirit as though they were our personal properties; but we must of necessity, align with God for whatever He wants so that we can enter the Kingdom. No one can be saved without entrance into the Kingdom. Entering the Kingdom is about the most difficult thing and it is accompanied with warfare. Jesus said, “And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” (Matt. 19;24). Many of us are rich; if we were poor, we would have made significant progress in our journey into the Kingdom.
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth" (Isa. 52:7). Publishing peace is a different experience from publishing salvation. Salvation is the name of the Lord. Salvation is a Person, a state in God. Tidings are at different levels. The good tidings is a package aimed at publishing something – peace. Peace here is a state of a building with God (Rom. 5:1-2). Salvation is the same as glory (Luke 4:3; Isa. 40:7).
"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. [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. [27] 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." (Eze. 36:24-27). This Scripture makes us know that there is a programme that precedes God putting His own Spirit within man. One of the problems we have as men is that it is not easy for us to trust the Spirit. Though it may initially look imperfect but when we watch for a time, we will see the wholeness of it. If a man is too systematic, such can miss the Spirit. Often, the first thing the Spirit does can knock off a man’s mindset. The Spirit has its time of brooding before it issues out commandments. Even in Genesis, the earth was chaotic but the Spirit brooded over the water for a while before the light was commanded to come forth (Gen. 1:3; 1 Cor. 4:6). While brooding, the activities of the Spirit may not look arranged, so we have to wait.
We are not to approach the Scripture from an academic standpoint, but with dependence on the Spirit of God; because those who wrote it wrote it with the mind of the Spirit. Even languages such as Greek are limited in interpreting the mind of the Spirit (1 Cor. 2:13).
“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.” (Eze. 36:28). Ezekiel brought the aspect of flesh-to-stone to light. The land that was given to the fathers is the land of the living. So, a people cannot be God’s if they do not come and dwell in the land. God would have first converted the heart of stone to flesh, and give them a new spirit by that. Then He would give His own spirit so that they would be able to walk in His statutes and keep them.
Comparing Hebrews 8:9-10 to Ezekiel 36:26-28, the aspect of turning hearts of stone to flesh was missing in Hebrews. This shows us that the new covenant was not meant for turning hearts of stone to flesh, but for writing the laws of the fathers in the hearts of people whose hearts had already been made flesh. The new covenant is the everlasting covenant. It is the sure mercies of David; the place of oath where God can hold a people such that He would be their God and they will be His people.
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; [2] To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;” (Isa. 61:1-2).
When Jesus quoted this Scripture in Luke 4:18-19, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, [19] To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”, He intentionally omitted the word God, in the earlier part of Isaiah 60:1 and the latter part of verse 2. He did so to show that the ministry of the Lord was separate from the ministry of the Lord God. At that time, Jesus’ ministry was about preparation to enter the Kingdom, not the actual entrance. Jesus came to preach the Kingdom but the people did not take the message. So, He had to prepare children for the acceptable year of the Lord. The pinnacle of that year is the acceptable time, which approves them for entrance into the day of the vengeance of our God.
There is a work to be done that the glad tidings (or good tidings of good) can do that the good tidings cannot do. The good tidings are to pave the way for the good tidings of good that will publish salvation. Peter was helped to pick the issue of salvation because it was time for that salvation to be published. Clearly, the churches at that time had fulfilled the acceptable year and it was time for them to access the last lap of the acceptable year – which is the acceptable time – for men to enter into salvation (2 Cor. 6:2). A time will come when there will be ministries, both for entrance and salvation, which the ministry of the High Priest is tied to.
The tidings of glory are the tidings of salvation and also the tidings of inheriting the Kingdom. These three aspects have to be involved to be able to interpret their true meanings; else one might preach something else. When a man inherits glory, he inherits the Kingdom.
The core of the new covenant is the everlasting covenant – it is the covenant made with fathers. God made covenant with Abraham on two occasions; the latter was an everlasting covenant God made after watching his progress (Gen. 17:7). Heaven cannot give oath to a person or system that can fail, so they have to check and check again; it has to be sure. When man fell to flesh, he did not remain as flesh, he fell further into corruption. One covenant was not enough to restore man from the state he had fallen to. God had to bring the first covenant, and then the everlasting covenant to achieve His intention.
When Abraham was initially told about God’s plan, he did not believe it, though he left his father’s house to another land. Righteousness was not conferred to Abraham because he left his father’s house but because he believed God’s vision concerning the seed (Gen. 15:6). This is why the New Birth alone does not guarantee this righteousness unto us; although we have a measure of righteousness by the New Birth. We must believe the message to have this righteousness being referred to. At New Birth, we did not believe the message as there was no tiding in it. The same people who believed the message for New Birth can later reject the good tidings. That was why the Apostles always went back to the churches because not all of those who believed eventually remained.
Entrance into the Kingdom is entrance into salvation (Acts 14:22). Anyone who would enter the Kingdom must go through the prescribed process (Matt. 22:11-12). The essence of the ministration of Christ is to put on us a garment that would guarantee us lawful admittance into the Kingdom - or domain of salvation. Many Christians often think of going to the kingdom (heaven) when they die; but Jesus preached that that Kingdom is already brought to us and man can enter into it. The gospel is to grant man access to the Kingdom. Thus a man can enter into the kingdom here and now. It is the soul that sees the kingdom and enters the Kingdom. Seeing the Kingdom is to see salvation, or everlasting life. This is first attained before one can begin to speak about the reign of God.
“Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: [11] Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” (1 Pet. 1:10-11). The prophets saw the salvation ahead. They were also seeing Christ. Christ’s message is the suffering of Christ; the glory that should follow is salvation. Both the suffering and the glory are works. It is when the work of the first glory is done that we can then be rewarded with the eternal glory. The glory of incorruption is the key to eternal glory, which we call Eternal life. If a man cannot move into the next tiding, which is the good tidings of good that publish salvation, then that man would not be saved and corruption can catch up with such a man.
Today, we get destabilized by tribulations. A single loss can imbalance a person’s journey because the devil would use that loss to assault the soul with questions. The God who made us knows us and He is prescribing ways out for us. To believe what God is saying, even without seeing it, is mercy. Many years ago, it would have been unbelievable that the world would be the way it currently is.
The LGBT movement is now very akin to terrorism, as they threaten to take the children of men. Men are now able to confidently vaunt hell. Common sense has become very beastly and there are men fighting for it. The world is set up in such a way that it would oppose anything advantageous for the Church but would support things pushed by the enemy. And we are often not mindful of kingdom invasions. The end of time is a time of kingdom against kingdom. It means that for any man to have expression in the end of time, such must be a kingdom man. That is why it is the Father’s good will to give us the Kingdom (Lk. 12:32). May God raise men and ministers that will stand to usher men into the Kingdom at these end times. Amen.
Round off by Reverend Kayode Oyegoke
There are salvations, but there is one in the mind of God that is His own expectation for man. In the past, there was the belief that a person can backslide, break commitment with God and not continue to fellowship with the Spirit of the Lord. Anybody who is born again has things they are saved from. This is a dimension of salvation and the Bible recognises this.
When a born again person dies, such would not go to hell because such is both saved from hell and saved to enter heaven. To enter heaven is a kind of salvation but if we get to heaven without the salvation of our souls, it will be communicated to us. However, it is possible to get to the end of salvation on earth. Therefore, we should not just stop at being saved from going to hell. It is also possible that a person who has been saved from going to hell can still go back to hell.
A person can be saved from going to hell but that is not all God wants. God wants us to be so saved that we would never be unsaved. God wants to be very sure that nothing can make us turn from the path of life. He wants us to get to a state of being “unturnable” by God’s ministry of salvation. What God had in mind when He was talking about salvation is not just the start, but the end of it. So, when we got born again, it was only the beginning. As long as we like to stay on earth, something is going to contest our comfortable Christianity. God does not want us to stay in our comforts; He wants us to move before these contentions come.
We should be journeying to a place where we would be unturnable. That is what God wants to give to us as salvation. He has it and He can give it. We can get to a place where God can be sure of us. We are to make our calling and election sure. It is possible that we get to a state where we can never fall. Heaven is not sure of a person who dies as a New Birth christian. The thief who died by the cross did not journey or walk by faith. Therefore, he cannot be the same with other christians who were left to journey on the earth.
As children of God, the reason we are left on earth is to make sure that the course of salvation is continuing. We should not relax in one place. We should keep going on to the place where we would be saved to never be unsaved. There is nothing like ‘once saved, always saved’, because a person cannot be saved once. We should get saved and then get to be saved. Real salvation is to be certified by God that one can never turn. As steadfast as angels were, one turned and he also turned many. It means their salvation was not sure. Angels value salvation and they desire to look into it (1 Pet. 1:12). They are interested in how ready we are for salvation. We are in this Convention for salvation.
Blessings!