Programme: Lekki Soul Center (LSC)
Date: Wednesday, 15th March 2023
Transcript Summary
1. Wicked spirits, especially those who occupy realms in the heavens, are brought down through the spoken word of God. The word of God in times and seasons, spoken through the mouth of the prophets, accomplished great results (Heb. 1:1). Zerubbabel was stopped from continuing the building of the temple by a decree from Persia, but Hagai and Zachariah the prophets were present in those seasons and kept speaking God’s words. God promised that the temple would be built (Zech. 4:7-9; Hag. 2:4), but we see in Zechariah 3 how Satan was standing against the high priest (Joshua) because he had filthy garments on. This tells us that the decree against the building of the temple prevailed because the high priest was not well positioned.
2. (Heb. 1:1-4). Zachariah and Hagai were speakers of God’s word on earth; but in the New Testament, Jesus Christ is the Speaker of God's word in heaven. This means by reason of Jesus' position, He has more advantage than those who spoke previously. Jesus is the prophet of the New Testament (Deut. 18:15, 18). There are also other prophets whom God has put His word in their mouths; such prophets speak doctrine and continue doing so without retreating. They speak of things that would build up the saints and position men the way God wants them to be positioned.
3. A prophet is first of all either a preacher or a teacher, not just one who prophesies. A generation needs to be helped by God to see a prophet God has sent to them. This is because Satan often raises other men who do not speak in the name of the Lord, just to distract God’s people. To speak in the name of the Lord is to speak as one who is sent by God to speak the agenda of God. Nevertheless, there are also minor prophets who say things concerning seasons and the future. For example, Agabus prophesied about an imminent famine (Acts 11:27-28) but was not at the forefront of a prophetic ministry as Paul.
4. Many believers are ignorant of what God truly wants to give; this is why they depend more on seeing manifestations. All the gifts and manifestations of the Spirit are for the profit of the saints (1 Cor. 12:7). However, the saints cannot be established (in God) by those kinds of operations alone. The operation of the gifts of the Spirit must be mixed with doctrine in order to truly profit the saints. There are believers who have gone beyond the gifts of the Spirit because they have entered into an allocation of life beyond the carnal life; this is why God does not speak to them as unto carnal (1 Cor. 3:1). The gifts of the Spirit majorly minister to carnal people; they are to help in enticing and inducing them towards God. But oftentimes, Satan hijacks that purpose and makes men settle on these gifts as a ministry.
5. To be trained as a minister of the New Testament, one has to be made free or else one will not be able to minister the new covenant. Apostle Paul said, “Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?” (1 Cor. 9:1). To be free is to have dealt with sins related to the blindness of one’s eyes. To be free is to see Christ and have Him (Rom. 8:2); it is to have denied ungodliness and worldly lusts (Tit. 2:12). There are sins that are not obvious to the eyes of men; this kind of sins can only be cleansed by our walk (Rom. 8:1). There is a stature that is required of a believer in order to enable him to relinquish such sins when demanded of him. After that has happened, there is still a lot to be done because such a one has not yet entered the covenant; he still needs to relinquish the world.
6. The criteria for an apostle in the New Testament is to see the Son of God and be a preacher of the sure foundation of God. One with the stature of the Son of God is empowered to handle iniquity. This is where one is made subject to the law of God upon being exposed to seeing Jesus, the Son of God. Every apostle should see Jesus; that is, know who He is. An apostle must have some degree of the opening of eyes; he must have understanding and be able to teach the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Acts 2:42). Jesus Christ is the course of the New Testament; the reason for establishing the apostolic ministry is for the sake of teaching Him. An apostle will not easily shift from doctrine because he has seen (knows) the Person that embodies the doctrine.
7. The first covenant God makes with a believer is Christ; He uses Christ to prepare a believer for Himself so that such a one can make a covenant with Him. The holy communion is a symbol of the covenant. Hitherto, the Church has been taking the table of communion physically; it is not easy to graduate to sit at the table of the Lord spiritually. What Jesus did that night was a symbolism of Him shedding His blood for the remission of the sins of many (Matt. 26:28). As many who will come to the table, their sins will be remitted. Jesus instructed that we partake of the table often in remembrance of Him. By doing so, we remember that there is a covenant in the cup for our sins to be taken away. Therefore, no one should say a Christian cannot be perfect because there is a provision for perfection.
8. Jesus said, “...I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.” (Matt. 26:29). Jesus was saying that He had moved into a higher dimension having initiated His kingdom and that His disciples were in it. The invitation to the table of the Lord is a call into the Kingdom; it is a celebration of dominion over what had previously kept one under a dominion; it is a coming into the Kingdom of freedom. We get freedom from the cup of the Lord. Yet there is more – “That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Luke 22:30). This means drinking in His Kingdom is not enough; one must proceed to sit on thrones to judge. This is what everlasting life is all about.
9. (Isa. 28:7-9). [7]"But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment." There are things Satan serves (wine and strong drink) that can make a minister lose control, and as a result, drive an agenda that is not of God. When the priests and prophets are "given to wine and strong drink", their vision will be affected – they will no longer be able to see the programme of God. Hence, they cannot discern well in judgment.
10. “Strong drink” refers to “Babylon”, while wine speaks of control. Wine can make a man passionate. What Babylon serves will keep making ministers preach this world without touching anything spiritual. These ministers bring forth ministrations that hold men in captivity so that they cannot come to the table of the Lord to make a covenant with God. The table in Isaiah 28:8 speaks of the hearts of the priest and the people – both of which are no longer clean. This means before a retraining can be done for such men, the milk of the word must be recovered to clean the table so that God can teach them knowledge, and hearts can be made to understand doctrine (Isa. 28:9).
11. When we “drink it new”, it is speaking of the second dimension of the cup of the Lord (Matt. 26:29). When our sins are cleared, the next level is for iniquity to be removed. The season of reconciling iniquity is the season when They are making us judge well. Iniquity cannot leave a man except he has discernment and judgment. This is because iniquity was installed by some kind of high-capacity reseasoning from the devil. What makes it difficult to accept God’s verdict about a standard is a high life that we regard. When Scripture says “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me…” (Ps. 66:18), it is saying to us that iniquity is a throne.
12. Priests are people whom God has dealt with. As such, the demands of God from them are usually different. Hence, they ought to see in a manner that is different from the rest of the people. As a priest, you wear the regalia of glory; sitting on the throne of judgment and co-judging with Jesus. When you judge people who are brought to you by the Lord, you are helping them to relinquish their duty to iniquity. You communicate a spiritual sense that you have gained from despising iniquity. A man who has everlasting life is one whose soul has been so built to an extent that he can stand before Satan to refuse what he presents as life; such a man regards the One who sits on the throne as his true life.
13. Covenant is the strength of any kingdom. For the throne of Satan to be brought down, his covenant has to be taken out of the souls of men. The teaching of the law of God institutes the dominion of God on earth. Expressing the Kingdom is not only limited to Christians sitting in positions of authority but also taking possession of the airspace over nations. True prophets are those who raise men to make a covenant with God. God desires that a people whom He has led for some time would come to the place where they can finally make a covenant with Him. Such a people would break the covenant of hell and death on earth and be brought into perfect freedom – one in which Satan has no incursion. This is what it means to drink the cup of the Lord 'new' in the Father's kingdom (Matt. 26:29).
14. (Heb. 1:2-3). Jesus is the mediator and overseer of the new covenant. He purges us so that when He speaks, our sins would be shaken off. Sin is a nature because it is a constitution inside a man. Jesus has to deal with an image framed by sin over time. Thus, one also needs the capacity to receive what Jesus is saying. Jesus would not speak to everyone in the Church; He would speak to those who can hear His voice and not harden their hearts – those who can discern between good and evil.
15. The word reveals creatures and the wrong natures that we do not naturally see in our souls. The spoken-word ministry of Jesus is to make us see; this is because our sight informs our choices. Eventually, our choices inform our denouncement of evil covenants and natures.
Blessings!