Eternal Glorious Fountain Ministry
Programme: Revelation Hour (RH)
Date: Saturday, 7th May 2022
Ministering: Pastor Ayo Omosehin
“If ye love me, keep my commandments. [16] And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; [17] Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” (John 14:15-17). Jesus gave authority to His disciples to cast out devils, heal the sick and work miracles (Matt. 10:1). The disciples would not have been able to do these without the working of the Holy Ghost in them. It was the activity of the Holy Ghost in them that enabled them to wrought those miracles and cast out demons. This indicates that the activities of the Holy Ghost were already with the disciples before Jesus left the earth.
The disciples were given the Holy Ghost to accompany the work of salvation with them. Jesus also was anointed with the Holy Ghost, and that anointing enabled Him to do the works He did (Acts 10:38).
The Holy Ghost came upon certain classes of men in the Old Testament, such as kings, prophets, priests and judges, for special assignments. Thus, the outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the apostles was no new feat. What was new about it was that the apostles were ordinary men — not kings, priests or prophets. Jesus chose them in an unusual way and the Holy Ghost, who in former times would not have come on such a class of men, came upon them to enable them to do a special work — witness the Lord Jesus (Matt. 9:38). The Lord had to anoint them for this assignment and confer upon them an authority because of the evil spirits they would confront.
Before Jesus was raised from the dead, men were casting out demons. Therefore, the giving of the Holy Ghost is not primarily for healing the sick and casting out demons. Some men did this before the death and ascension of Jesus to heaven. Healing the sick is not the advent of the New Testament; it is inferior to the real ministry of Jesus.
The promise of the Father, which is the outpouring of the Holy Ghost is a heightened operation of the Spirit among men. It is higher than what was obtainable in the Old Testament. When Jesus told the disciples to tarry in Jerusalem till they are endued with power from on high (Lk. 24:29), they did not have a thorough grasp of the mysteries of the kingdom which Jesus taught.
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8). This is a different or higher operation than what they had previously used the name of Jesus to do, such as casting out demons, healings, etc. This time, they were to be made witnesses to the uttermost parts of the earth. A witness is not just one who speaks, but one who has received a work within. He is one who has seen, heard, and handled what he has experienced (1 John 1:1).
Jesus told us that the assignment of the Holy Ghost is to make us receive power (Acts 1:8). There were acts of the Holy Spirit over the apostles, but there was more to His ministry in their lives that were beyond the workings of miracles. The working of miracles is an anointing of the Spirit and a type of power of the Spirit. However, the power that made the apostles witnesses is not a gift of the Spirit. This power that makes men witnesses is the beginning of the advent of the Holy Ghost in the New Testament. The essence of the coming of the Holy Ghost upon men is to give them the power to be witnesses.
The power of the Holy Ghost "to become" is different from the power "to act". Without the power "to become", one has not yet unravelled the ministry of the Holy Ghost in the New Testament. To be a witness is to receive the testimony of a Man (Jesus) and allow that testimony to run your life until His life becomes your life. This power is demonstrated in the giving of the gospel (Rom. 1:16).
All through the Old Testament, the best the Holy Ghost did was to rest on the patriarchs and then lift after a while; He never stayed on any of them. It took a higher operation of the Holy Ghost to break through the human soul, touch his spirit and raise him from the dead. This is greater than other works that the Holy Ghost has previously done, and it was predicated on the intercession of Jesus to the Father (John 14:15-21). This power is the revelation of righteousness. There is a power the Holy Ghost gives to make men a witness of a life against sin.
Christ is the wisdom and the power of God (1 Cor. 1:24). Therefore, the gospel of Christ is power. This is the advent of the ministry of the New Testament. Few believers know about the goal of the giving of the Holy Ghost in the New Testament and are still operating in the Old Testament. As such, Satan is unperturbed and men remain in bondage. But we need power to unsettle Satan. What has tied men down is the power of darkness (Col. 1:13). Men unknowingly love this power and weave their lives around it. Therefore, the Holy Ghost had to be sent, to deliver man from this power (John 16:7).
The apostles were limited before the Holy Ghost was given to them. It was through the preaching of the word that Jesus delivered His disciples from the world. Despite the activity of the Holy Ghost in the disciples, in things like casting out demons and raising the dead, they still had something in common with the Jews — the world. However, the Holy Ghost helped them to become separated from the world. The reason why Peter rebuked Jesus when He spoke about His death was because of the presence of the world in Him (Matt. 16:21-23). The disciples were also asking who was the greatest among them because they still had the world in them (Matt. 18:1).
The Holy Ghost can be in a man and yet, he will still love his life or this world. As long as the world is in a man, even if miracles are wrought through or in him, Satan will not fall. The world is the manifestation of Satan in men. The problem in the lives of men is this world, but Jesus paid a ransom with His life, to redeem us from it (John 3:16). It takes the faith and love of the begotten Son to excavate the world out of the soul of man. If God gave His only begotten Son as a sacrifice against the world, then the world must be the begotten son of another father (Satan). The word “son” in this context means “properties” or “gene”.
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” (John 13:34). Jesus gave His disciples a commandment to love one another so that they could be prepared for where He was going. Loving one another would make them prefer one another in the issue of leadership, for example. There are works Jesus did that cannot be recorded because no man can understand them. The synoptic gospels are the witness of man by the Holy Ghost, according to the understanding and comprehension of man concerning Jesus. But the Holy Ghost has a record (witness) of Jesus, which is more than the miracles that He performed. One of such records is how He loved His disciples.
We do not know the depth of love Jesus had for His disciples but the Holy Ghost archived this, took record of it and reported this to the Father. Jesus’ love for His disciples is shown by how He endured and suffered long with them. This is also enough proof that He loved the world because it is the same darkness that Satan wrought in the disciples that he replicated in the hearts of all men. The epistles of Paul can help us understand how Jesus loved His disciples because the epistles contain the instructional manual on love and charity. This is the record of the Holy Ghost concerning the Son.
The preparation for going to where Jesus went is by loving one another. This is something the world cannot do; it loves its own but not as Christ loves His disciples. The love of the world cannot accommodate infirmities but Jesus loved His own till the very end. He loved them not based on their abilities or lack, but according to the prescription of the Father. When Jesus loved them in this manner, they saw and believed that men can love one another as Jesus loved them.
There is no way we can have entrance into the ministry of the Holy Ghost, in removing the world from our souls without loving one another. One of the ways we can increase in understanding is by walking in love. Jesus demonstrated this when He washed the feet of His disciples (John 13:1-17). This demonstration was a release of power to them to do the same.
“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. [13] Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. [14] Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” (John 15:12-14). Jesus emphasized the commandment of loving one another to the disciples, to show to us that it was not a matter to be taken lightly. Charity was defined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8; we should not only learn about it but also embody it. However, the presence of the world in us prevents us from obeying charity commandments. This is why we need the gospel of Christ to dissolve that sinful or worldly nature that is in us.
A man can do works but may not have charity. It takes the power of Christ to be kind to a brother for whom one is suffering long. A man who can do this has overcome that sinful nature and as such, he has overcome the world. Charity is, first of all, a nature (inheritance), not an action; therefore, it can be possessed. Charity is a manifestation of the Holy Ghost. When a saint takes a step of charity toward his brother, it is a move of the Holy Ghost.
There is a move of the Holy Ghost that takes place inwardly. One of such manifestations is obedience to the laws of charity. Charity is the only instrument that can mortify the flesh (Rom. 8:13) and we do this by cooperating with the Holy Ghost. Faith and hope are preparations for charity. Our sin is the world in us and charity is the means by which we are crucified to the world and the world to us (Gal. 6:14). The reason for instructions in charity is to remove stains in us and wash us clean, in order to meet the Spirit of the Father.
The nature of Satan which we inherited is what prevents us from fulfilling the commandments of charity. Every man has an inheritance of the world in him; this is what is referred to as the power of darkness. In God’s sight, power is anything a man can live by. When you imbibe the law of charity, you renounce the power of darkness. This is deliverance! It takes power to forbear and be meek. What actually displaces the footstool of Satan upon men are conversations of charity. The Holy Ghost was given to make men powerful against sin. If one is not powerful against sin, he will not receive immunity. Satan has wrought the knowledge of a wrong life and a nature of disobedience in men.
“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; [2] 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. 2:1-2). What makes men disobey God is because a spirit has been given to them, through courses. “Spirit” here refers to the mannerism of life and nature that has configured a person to behave in a way. Nobody can obey God without a spirit, which is the power of God.
We need to be given the power to obey and power trains us to obey. The reason for the curriculum of Christ is to train us to obey. We can identify one who has learnt Christ by his ability to obey God. Men who find the instruction of the Holy Ghost difficult to obey are weak but Christ is given to train our members to obey.
The next phase of the outpouring of the Spirit is by the spoken word. By this, power will also be given. Therefore, we should desire that the Holy Ghost would be given to us much more. It takes the power of God for what is being preached by ministers to align with the throne. If there is revelation, understanding, judgment or conviction, then power has been released. When power is received to the fullest, the first phase of death is gone. The fullness of power makes one obey God. The first giving of power is the power of God unto salvation. The second giving of power is the giving of the eternal power, and it is given by doctrine.
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. [8] And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: [9] Of sin, because they believe not on me…” (John 16:7-9). Another name for sin is “unbelief”. These men did not believe in Jesus because they loved this world. This world is a lifestyle of disobedience to God. As long as you have the tendency to or have a lifestyle that disobeys God, you are a sinner. However, the more you believe, that tendency is removed. This belief is a result of the revelation of the faith of Christ.
“But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith…” (Rom. 16:26). To believe is to obey or agree with the dealings of the Holy Ghost. When we carry out the witness of the Holy Ghost in our hearts, we walk by faith. To live by faith is to live by instruction. Faith is obedience. Therefore, when we obey revealed righteousness, we have walked by faith. The reason why the Comforter will come is for righteousness. Except the Spirit of the Father is given, we cannot know righteousness. This righteousness begins with the righteousness of Christ and ends with the righteousness of the Father.
“In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. [11] For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” (1 John 3:10-11). Loving our brother is doing righteousness. Charity is righteousness. Anyone who refuses to do righteousness will receive the spirit of this world. Disobedience is costly – it causes a wrong spirit to enter into a person who disobeys. Therefore, when a commandment is given for all of us to do charity, we should make sure we are striving to do it. The reason is that the evil one is coming. The Father is also coming. He is not coming with mighty revelations but with things you should do to be begotten.
As instructions come and you obey them, your womb is prepared to carry God's seed, till you realize you are pregnant and then begin to bring forth fruits of righteousness. We should work towards doing charity till all disobedience in us is dealt with. Charity is the bond of perfectness (Col. 3:14) and it is possible for men to obey God. The only thing that can overcome the evil of the world is the love of the Father. When you keep yourself in the love of God (Jude 1:21), you have gained wisdom on how to avoid evil and keep yourself from it.
Summary
1. The essence of the coming of the Holy Ghost upon men is to give us power to be witnesses. To be a witness is to receive the testimony of Jesus and allow that testimony to run your life, until it becomes your life.
2. The Holy Ghost can be in a man and yet, he will still love his life or this world. As long as the world is in a man, even if miracles are wrought through or in him, Satan will not fall. The world is the manifestation of Satan in men.
3. Charity is a manifestation of the Holy Ghost. It is first a nature that can be inherited, and not just actions. It is the only instrument that can mortify the flesh (Rom. 8:13) and we do this by cooperating with the Holy Ghost.
4. The reason for the curriculum of Christ is to train us to obey. Nobody can obey God without the power of God.
5. Disobedience is costly – it causes a wrong spirit to enter into a person who disobeys. Therefore, when a commandment is given for all of us to do charity, we should make sure we are strive to do it.
6. As long as you have the tendency to or have a lifestyle that disobeys God, you are a sinner. However, the more you believe, that tendency is removed. This belief is a result of the revelation of the faith of Christ.
7. Except the Spirit of the Father is given, we cannot know righteousness. This righteousness begins with the righteousness of Christ and ends with the righteousness of the Father.
8. (1 John 3:10-11) Loving our brother is doing righteousness. Charity is righteousness. Anyone who refuses to do righteousness will receive the spirit of this world.