Eternal Glorious Fountain Ministry EGFM
Programme: Writing the Vision Prayer Meeting (WTVPM Day 2-September Edition)
Date: Tuesday, 20th September, 2022
The season we are in is truly a fearful one. The ministry of the New Testament is a ministry where Paul said, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God…” (2 Cor. 3:5). One of the scriptures that came to the minister’s heart yesterday was a place in Hebrews 11 “...quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.” (Heb. 11:34).
We like quenching the violence of fire and escaping the sword; but we do not like something that is “out of weakness”. We celebrate the exploits or testimonies, the shout of victory of those in Hebrews 11, but we do not take cognizance of their process (walk). For example, in the account of the fall of the wall of Jericho, the time of victory was the time of shouting (Joshua 6:20). The shout was one that everybody celebrated because the Lord had given them victory. So also, it is common with those in Hebrews 11. The accounts of those mentioned in Hebrews 11 began with the saying “by faith”, which is a demonstration.
The manner with which God pressed out the scriptures is through the life experiences of several people. Without those experiences, we would not have had the consolation we have in the scriptures. For example, Abraham did not consider his body weak; we like that, but we do not know what it was like for him in that season. God used men to demonstrate and paint a kind of life. This was necessary because if that life was not embodied, we would be unable to effectively read (touch) what is being said.
When a soul is being dealt with, it is not comfortable because there is shame around it. This is why many will not allow themselves to be weak. The word ‘weakness’ talks about inadequacy (lack). The Spirit comes upon one who is weak, to demonstrate a kind of life. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14). There was something done to the hearts of the people who beheld Him. What they beheld was a demonstration of a word being made flesh and this is still what God is after – scriptures are going to be made flesh.
“I remember a prophecy where God said that we are going to be seeing strange manifestations and demonstrations of the Spirit in places where we think we have arrived. Those demonstrations might not be for everybody but for those who can read (understand).” Certain conversations have to be pressed out and They are going to use you and me; therefore, we must get ready. Scriptures are not just going to be what is written on the pages of the book but they will now be scriptures written on the hearts of men. They will also be known and read by other men (2 Cor. 3:2) because you will demonstrate scriptures.
The Bible is a life experience of people. They are conversations that have been in God all this while. If these people did not allow God to show forth a manner of life through them, the Bible would have looked like a scientific book, or at best, a philosophical book. But our God is not a God of philosophy but a God of life. As He demonstrates, hearts can touch and feel His life.
“...quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.” (Hebrews 11:34). We want strength without weakness but we cannot actually be made strong without experiencing weakness. Everlasting strength has its own measure of weakness. “And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. [4] And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: [5] That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:3-5).
There was a need for Paul to come into weakness. He needed to possess this for the wisdom and power of God, which is for Christ to be brought to the people. It is necessary that the faith of the people would not rest on the wisdom of men. This wisdom here is not about the wisdom of philosophers because even for Christians, there is a way the wisdom of man can martial out scriptures. There is a reason Paul had to come with weakness and fear. That fear is neither timidity nor reverence, that fear leaves you not being confident in ministration. You need that fear to be able to give life. But it will take the Lord to break our hearts in order to put in that disposition of fear. That fear is not reverence or timidity. I am afraid to come and minister and it is not about being a preacher for a long time. This fear (weakness) is a treasure. It is an equipment that every New Testament minister must possess. When we lack this, we are not yet able ministers.
We do not yet understand what the New Testament is. A testament without the death of the testator will make the testament of non-effect (Heb. 9:16). If the testator has to die for the testament to be of effect, what about the vessel that has to proclaim the testament? You cannot carry the testament without possessing some level of death. The New Testament is a Spirit (Rev. 19:10). One could say words and that Spirit would not move as it is the Spirit that gives life. When a man is being made an “able minister”, he is being coupled with fear, weakness and trembling. When a man is coupled with these things, he is made. There is a need for a minister to possess that fear. You can see the beauty of weakness in the spirit.
There is a measure of weakness that God is demanding of us in this season of everlasting life. It is when it comes to this fear and trembling that some will become ashamed. The road to working this thing out in a person is not palatable. For men and women in Hebrews 11, the road to working it out was not palatable to their flesh but at the end of the day, we read it and we are blessed. “Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.” (2 Corinthians 12:5) These infirmities, Paul mentioned, are not works of the flesh but are infirmities that are identifiable because of one’s proximity to light. They are infirmities that are seen as strengths to a person because it has been used and produced results. However, they are infirmities that become more evident as one draws closer to light. These infirmities are not the weight of sin, but rather inadequacy (lack). No man will tell you that he lacks. It is not a lack of money, of what to say, or lack of wisdom (Paul was an erudite scholar of the law). So, they worked something in him to make him see his lack. This same thing was also seen with Moses – he used to be eloquent and could do things, but he was brought to a place of stammering. The stammering lips were his infirmity (Exo. 6:20). That infirmity was worked out in Moses. To a man (including Moses), it was an infirmity. This made him argue with God about going back to Egypt to deliver the message he was sent.
“Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities. [6] For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. [7] And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. [8] For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.” (2 Corinthians 12:5-8). Verse 7 speaks of a spirit that was sent to him. This is different from the infirmities being spoken about. This spirit was responsible for stirring up prosecutions, and other things came against him to weaken him. For this spirit taunting him, it would only have taken the Lord to make this spirit depart as it is a kind of spirit that does not go easily despite prayers, fasting, binding or loosening, or the applications of the patience of Christ. However, it was amid this infirmity that he saw a revelation.
“Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you. [4] For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.” (2 Corinthians 13:3-4). We can not access the power of God without weakness. The Spirit of the Lord was teaching Paul a pathway that the Lord used to overcome Satan. The weakness of God is greater than the power of man. The path of weakness is not desirable and many do not want to be taken down that path. Jesus was crucified in weakness for Him to access the power to live, that is, the power of God. We can not live by the power of God without His weakness. We have to access the power of God by weakness and this power of God is everlasting life. We have been hearing everlasting life but we now have to begin to live by the power of everlasting life.
Everlasting life is a powerful life. One can hear everlasting life but to live it is a different ball game, and that is the zone we currently are. In this zone, we will see strange demonstrations, not just in preaching and teaching, but in lifestyle. There will be demonstrations between husbands and wives. It is going to be the demonstration of a conversation that is higher than the conversation of Christ. A novice may not understand this conversation and may even call us foolish because of it, but the intent is that we want to access power to live everlasting life in our souls.
Without this power, our hearing of everlasting life will not amount to living. The pathway to accessing this power is weakness. Every testament has its own level of weakness. “But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.” (Luke 9:55). A manner of spirit means a manner of life that ought to be showed forth. The disciples did not understand this manner because they did not know how to react. If we react like men would, Satan would catch us. There are laws in the Spirit that must not be broken. If we react like our flesh tells us to, we would lose something and God will not be pleased.
The Lord’s judgement concerning a situation may not be in line with ours but there is a testimony we have to bear. When we do nothing, it may seem like we are losing life physically but we are actually gaining in the realm of the spirit. Spirits are being judged as a result. There is no blood of a saint that drops without consequences in the spirit. Satan must have tried every other option for him to resort to killing. He wants us to lose the life of God we are trapping. Each time the blood of a saint drops, it is a victory because it bears a testimony.
“For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.” (2 Corinthians 13:4) We also have to be weak in Him. If we are going to access the power by which He lives, then we must yield to the weakness that is in Him. Weakness and brokenness are treasures. We must pray not to lose the sense of brokenness. We can lose this sense if we are not careful, especially if we want to continue to use a power we have been used to. In using the former strength, we may lose the power we are meant to live by.
Each time we do not access the power of everlasting life, it means we have not sanctified the Lord. The pathway to honoring the Lord is weakness. “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Perfect strength cannot come without weakness. In other words, when that which is perfect comes, that which is not perfect would have to give way. That which is not perfect cannot give way without weakness. That which is perfect is perfect strength, but we have to be weak to access it. The power of Christ is the life of Christ. We need to glory in our infirmities for this power to rest on us. For the power of God to rest in us, we need to treasure weakness. This kind of gospel does not seem exciting. This is not the weakness arranged by man; it is a weakness that God would work out in us.
“Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10). We must take pleasure in the weakness and reproach worked out by the Lord. Everyone who has to walk in this path has to experience this. Paul was not lying about these words he said. For the Spirit of God to press these words out of him, it means he must have truly taken pleasure in his infirmities. When Agabus foretold what would happen to him in Jerusalem, he was not deterred (Acts 21:13), he was rather ready to go die for Christ’s sake. Paul was not just being stubborn. Rather, there was something he was seeing that enabled him to take pleasure in persecution.
James said, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations…” (Jam. 1:2). There was something these men were seeing that we are yet to see. It is only when we see what they were seeing that we will be able to glory in these things because a natural man would never glory in them. Transactions and conversations of everlasting life are upon us at this moment. The reward is that we will access the power of everlasting life but the key is weakness.
We need to agree to be weak. We must begin to pray for the Lord to make us weak. It is at this point that some turn away but it is out of weakness that we are made strong; excellent strength is born out of weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). When there is no weakness, everlasting life will not be made manifest and we would not lay hold on it.
Being strong in the power of the Lord is not anything of man. We have to be weak so that we can access the power of life everlasting. We must desire to access everlasting life. That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man… (Ephesians 3:16). What we are hearing is what They would use to strengthen us. The dealings we would face now would be according to the level of things we are hearing, which is everlasting life. We are being shown the key to accessing the power of the life we have been hearing. May we find grace to possess everlasting life. Amen.
Blessings!
Summary
1. God pressed out the scriptures through the life experiences of several people. Without those experiences, we would not have had the consolation we have in the scriptures. God used men in the scriptures to demonstrate His life. This was necessary because if that life was not embodied by some men, we would be unable to effectively read (touch) what is being said.
2. A testament without the death of the testator will make the testament of no effect (Heb. 9:16). You cannot carry the testament without possessing some level of death in your soul.
3. There is a measure of weakness that God is demanding of us in this season of everlasting life. It is when it comes to this matter of fear and trembling that some will become ashamed. However, we cannot access the power of God without weakness (2 Corin. 13:4).
4. The weakness of God is greater than the power of man (1 Corin. 1:25). The path of weakness is not desirable and many do not want to be taken down that path. Jesus was crucified in weakness for Him to access the power of God to live (2 Corin. 13:4). We cannot live by the power of God without His weakness.
5. We have been hearing everlasting life but we now have to begin to live by the power of everlasting life. Everlasting life is a powerful life. Without this power, our hearing of everlasting life will not amount to living. The pathway to accessing this power is weakness. Every testament has its own level of weakness.
6. When we do nothing in some situations and just trust the Lord’s judgement over ours, it may seem as if we are losing life physically but we are actually gaining life in the realm of the spirit.
7. Weakness and brokenness are treasures. We must pray not to lose the sense of brokenness we have. We can lose this sense of brokenness if we are not careful, especially if we decide to continue in our former strength.
8. We need to agree to be weak. We must begin to pray for the Lord to make us weak. It is out of weakness that we are made strong; excellent strength is born out of weakness (2 Corin. 12:9). When there is no weakness, everlasting life will not be made manifest for us to lay hold on it.