Eternal Glorious Fountain Ministry (EGFM)
Programme: Revelation Hour (RH)
Date: Saturday, 30th October, 2021
Ministering: Pastor Tope Falaye
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Rom. 5:12). Sin and death gained entrance into the world through a man. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil would not have had access to the earth without man, even if it was planted in the garden. However, a company of people will come to the point where they come to the end of sin. Those who will take things everlasting must first be free from sin, because things everlasting will be elusive to one who has not been made free from sin. Here, sin does not necessarily just refer to the actions. Those actions are as a result of workings in our souls.
“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” (1 John 3:9). The phrase "doth not commit sin" does not mean that the person is perfect in character. A person who is free from sin and death is not yet totally healed because he still has the disease of hell and death. As such, he can still do certain things that will make him fall short of the character of the everlasting nature.
Due to our knowledge of scriptures, we sometimes measure ourselves and other believers based on the expectations of a man who has acquired the everlasting nature, or based on the expectations of one who is free from the negative everlasting nature. However, the everlasting nature is only worked in men as a result of the work of light. For one to be free at the level of everlasting life, he must have the name of the Father. This however does not mean that we should not aspire for it.
The fact that a person who is at the level of milk has read all the epistles does not mean he can measure up to all that he has read. This is because the leadings of the Holy Ghost at that point in time can only produce the character of milk. Such a man should not slip into condemnation or put undue pressure on himself because of this. What he should rather pursue after is the learning of truth and the formation of nature in his soul.
Nature is a by-product of two things: (1) a formation and (2) a stature of light. There must be a building of a pillar of light or the hewing of doctrine in you before a nature can be formed in you, because you must know and understand it. A man cannot develop the nature of a thing that he has not learnt or partaken of. It is from the learning of doctrine that the Holy Ghost brings instructions to us.
A person who is skilled in milk cannot attain everlasting life without Christ. God increases the demand of life as we progress in each level. There is a measure of evil speaking that is not expected of us at a certain level of our growth. We may not be completely healed at a certain level, but a level of healing has also been accomplished in us. Every level of the word is meant to build a nature in us.
Epistles are meant to hand over traditions, cultures and a way of life to us. The life that will be demanded at a level will be at par with the revelation that has been measured out to us. God will be evil to demand a standard of life from a person who has not been taught the doctrine of that life, because knowledge is strength.
God gives us word and the understanding of it. He places a premium on the need to understand because it is when we understand and live by that understanding that nature is formed in us. However, we do not acquire nature by self determination but by growth.
Works of the flesh are by-products of sin, which is a light inside the soul. There are some people who are disciplined and do not commit certain sins. For some, the reason why they do not engage in those sinful acts is because of religion; however, this might not mean that the person is free from sin. A man who is grounded in scriptures can still make some mistakes. Through religion, Satan can create circumstances that can make natures become numb. The Holy Ghost can also create certain circumstances around us to awaken some natures in us, but this all depends on what we feed on. Nature and characters are stored where the light of that character dwells. As such, what entered the world was sin, not fornication or any of the by-products of sin.
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord : though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isa.1:18). The cleansing of sin is done by forming a nature in a man. In this scripture, Prophet Isaiah prophetically said that it is possible to have sin but also possible to not have it. What is needed to remove sin is the making or formation of a nature. This was why Jesus also said, "and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32).
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Rom. 8:2). It is a miracle for a man to be free from sin but the gospel can cause this to happen. Paul could say that he was free from sin because he followed God’s word and lived by the nature of Christ. Heaven is about to reap many people in whom sin and death have been brought to an end in their lives. As a result of the tutelage of life, it might not be a confession in their mouths.
It is possible for us to be free from sin and death. Sin is not earthly because the seed of the being that Adam and Eve ate was not earthly. Though it was planted on the earth, its nature is not earthly. To appropriate natural definitions to sin is to fall short of its true meaning. Sin is not earthly or natural; it is spiritual.
If you do not know your enemy, there is no way you can truly say you would one day overcome him. By the reason of where sin came from, it is higher than Man; so God did not appropriate a natural solution to sin. That is why in Romans 8, God was proffering a spiritual solution to it.
“And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. [8] And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. [9] And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? [10] And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” (Genesis 3:7-10). That they ate of the fruit and hid themselves is an evidence of a wrong nature that had been inputted in them. These natures do not go immediately. The dealings for their removals are many times long term, so we must wait on it. We must learn not to run away from such dealings and yield to it as it is a prerequisite for accelerated growth.
An acid test of the presence of sin in a person that ends in death, is the presence of fear. Fear is a symptom of sin and death. What can call for the Father is the spirit of adoption (Rom. 8:15). A man cannot receive the spirit of adoption if he has not been free from the spirit of bondage to fear. A spirit is a law (life) and it is in every aspect of our lives.
Amongst the brethren, the people who are the greatest tools of our change are the ones Satan tag us against. It is a program of a negative life that makes us have issues with brethren who ought to be our tool of blessing. The Lord wants peace in different expressions. A man arrives at peace first by hearing doctrine, then by obeying doctrine. Obeying doctrine most times comes with struggle, and we are expected to strive to obey instructions. When light comes, striving begins. The struggle is a good sign of growth. We must by reason of exercise be at peace with ourselves and the progress of our brethren such that it becomes an unconscious part of us. When there is peace, there is so much joy. There is always shame associated with peace. Sometimes confessing our faults can seem shameful.
There are two levels of fear: (1) fear as a result of sin, and (2) fear which is as a result of hell and death. Flesh shows itself in the fear for our lives and our earthly position or advantage. However, when light comes, it will reveal flesh. At such times, we must do our best to obey the instructions that come with the light (understanding) received, and measure the obedience of others.
Scriptures speak of things that would be added as we seek the kingdom (Matt. 6:31-33). When we continue in this path and go through times when those natural things are not being added to us, it can stir up fear in our hearts. However, we must grow to be content with our present level of dealings and graces. It is the wisdom of peace to stay within the level of grace the Lord brings per time. We must learn to take our minds off the things we lack. We must not be envious of those who have more natural substances than we do. We must rather be content and be at peace with what we have. We must realize that Satan is the common enemy, not our brethren. The picture that Satan paints about us and our brethren is always a lie because he is a liar.
When we obey instructions as a result of doctrine, we would be able to unwind the wheel of fear. A sign of growth is that we will begin to have peace about those things that have made us fearful. Sometimes, the result of peace is not that our needs are met but that we outgrow them. We must be able to take the shame brought by the revelation of life and peace and learn to be comfortable with it, so that we would take things everlasting. We must be strengthened to make full proof of our calling of faith, hope and charity. We must bear fruits accordingly. Amen.