FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

GENERAL QUESTIONS

The preacher spoke about salvation of the soul and how that I need to be saved, how will that provide for my food?

First of all, it is good to know that man is tripartite in nature (1 Thess. 5:23); man is a spirit (Pro 20:23, 1 Cor 2:11) that has a soul (Matt. 16:26, Luke 21:29) and lives in a body (2 Cor. 5:1, 2 Pet. 1:14). With the spirit you contact the spiritual realm, with the soul the realm of knowledge and with the body, the natural realm. Man was designed to live from the inside out; from the spirit to the soul and to the body. Man is not supposed to be ruled by the body because to be body ruled or to raise the natural as the standard of life is to be carnal (Rom. 10:6, Phil. 3:19).

Man was created to be made a house for God (Isa. 66:1-2, 2 Cor. 6:16), that's what is called the salvation of the soul (1 Pet. 1:9, Jam. 1:21). So, man is not a temporal being; he is of eternal worth. Man was made to inherit the Life of God called Eternal Life (Tit. 1:2, 1 John 2:25), and this life can only be given to man through knowledge (John 17:3, 1 John 5:20). This knowledge comes via the teaching and preaching of the Word of Life (Tit. 1:3, Rom. 10:13-17). So, man is commanded to live on words and not on the natural alone (Matt. 4:4, Psa. 119); any other way of life outside this will rob man of such great and eternal destiny (John 3:16, Mark 8:26).

It’s good to know that God is a good and caring father (Psalm 136, 1 Pet. 5:7, Heb. 2:6); He doesn't just have provisions for saving the soul, He has already settled all that pertains to the natural life of His children (Matt. 6: 26-32, 1 Tim. 6:6-8, Heb. 13:5-6). So, we are instructed to focus on the Word of Life and not on our natural needs (Matt. 6:33-34, Mark 10:28-30). To focus on what should be added and leave the promise of life itself is to lose eternally, that's what is called perishing (Mark 8:36, 2 Thess. 2:10). When we focus on the salvation of our souls and need arises, we should learn how to cast it on the Lord by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. We should keep focusing on the hope of salvation. Even in the face of pressing needs, we should keep trusting the Lord all the way knowing that He cares about every aspect of our lives (1 Pet. 5:7, Phil. 4:6-7). God Cares.

Are you saying we should not want to make heaven?

It's good to know that God is the creator of the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1, Heb. 1:10) and they were created at the same time and by the same word (2 Pet. 3:5, Col. 1: 16). Heaven is a spiritual plane and it's the home of angels while the earth is both a spiritual (invisible) and physical plane (visible) and it's the home of man. Man was created with a form of everlasting life; so, the issue of the spirit and soul of man leaving the body and going to heaven or hell only surfaced because man disobeyed God. Man started dying physically because sin and death entered into the world (Rom. 5:12, Jam. 2:26). Heaven is the home of angels but it's a temporary abode meant to accommodate man for a specific period of time.

Throughout scriptures we see that the promise of God to man is not a place but His Life (Tit. 1:2, 1 John 2:25, John 3:16). There's no place in the bible where heaven is painted as the hope of a believer (John 14:6, Matt. 7: 13-14). In 1 Peter 1:4 we find three (3) characteristics of the inheritance of the saint in Light: incorruptible, undefiled and unfading; and Heaven bears none of these characteristics. Heaven is not incorruptible because it will be burnt with everlasting fire (2 Pet. 3:10, Matt. 25:35), heaven is not undefiled because sin started from there (Ezek. 28:12-18, Heb. 9:23) and it's not unfading because its already becoming old (Heb. 1:10, Psa. 102:26). So, it's clear that both the heavens and the earth don't fit into the description of the promise of God for man, it's not also the house that God desires to eternally dwell in (Isa. 66:1-2, Rev. 21:1-3). It's also good to know that as believers, we are called to interact with the new heavens in Christ, not when we die but in the days of our flesh (Eph. 1:3, 2 Pet. 3:13-14). These spiritual blessings are revelations of the Life of Christ which we are meant to understand and inherit as a lifestyle (Matt. 16:16-17, Eph. 4:20, Col. 2:6); this is what it means to mind heavenly things and have our conversation in heaven (John 3:12, Phil. 3:20). There's nothing wrong in desiring to go to heaven (the home of angels), but we should go beyond there by pressing to acquire or enter the heavenly places in Christ in the days of our flesh. There is an urgent vacancy for the men of the future.

Should Christians now be poor?

It's good to know that concerning any biblical theme or discourse, the bible is our standard, guide and encyclopedia. So, to answer this question, first of all we have to define what “riches” means in the light of God's word. We know that God is the Creator of all the heavens and the earth with all that is therein; angels, man, animal, plants, water, rocks etc. (Gen. 1, Heb. 1:10, Psalm 24:1-2). However, it is also good to know that there are certain things that God didn't create, rather they came because man fell and began to advance in the wisdom of sin like. These things that God did not create include money, houses, cars, schools, hospitals etc. (Eccl. 7:29, Gen. 4:21-22).

But it's good to know that in the sight of God, true riches are neither of those things (heavens, earth, materials), rather they are substances of His nature. For example, God is rich in mercy (Eph. 2:4, Psa. 52:1), rich in grace (Eph. 2:7), rich in wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3), rich in glory (Eph. 1:17-20) etc.; these are substances that endure. So how much of these substances a man has in his soul tells how rich he is before God, and poverty is measured by how much corruption a man has in his soul (Eph. 3:16). This means that the presence or absence of material substances is neither wealth nor poverty before God, that's a wrong gauge to measure the goodness of God in our lives.

So, when God is communicating His nature to your soul via knowledge, He is making you wealthy and this is far greater than giving you plenty of money or material substances (Psalm 19:7-10, Pro. 8:11). It's good to know that God is a good and caring father (Psalm 136, 1 Pet 5:7, Heb 2:6), He doesn't just have provisions for saving the soul, He has already settled all that pertains to the natural life of His children (Matt. 6: 26-32, 1 Tim. 6:6-8, Heb. 13:5-6). It's God's will that His children prosper even naturally because if that was a promise to the Jews in the Old Testament (provided they walk in the covenant), how much more for the New Testament saints (3 John 2, Deut. 7). The Lord told Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin of blessed memory that He is not against His people being rich (materially) but He is against them being covetous. When you acquire true riches, you would be able to handle natural riches without drowning your soul in corruption.

Does the Bible not teach us to believe God for our needs and confess the word of God?

Yes, it does. It is scriptural to believe God for our needs to be met. It is also scriptural to confess the word of God into the different situations we are faced with in life. And the faith expression of life that Jesus authored—which we are commanded to obey (Romans 1:5) and which we are expected to live by (Gal. 2:20)—does not in any way take this foundational demonstration of faith from us. This is because God would rather have us turn towards Him than trust other methods of getting things done.

However, the faith that is in Jesus intends to take us a step higher. It was authored to take us past the limitation of the hope of our own (foundational) faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the hope (or the ambition) of the faith expression of life that is in Jesus or that He authored is Salvation. At this point, it is important to stress that no faith expression can hope for Salvation other than that which Jesus authored and finished (Heb. 12:1-3). For a man who is a practitioner of this faith (that is in Jesus), his needs being met and his life going according to plan are no longer his obsessions. This is because the faith of Jesus prioritizes Salvation above everything else. It de-emphasizes every other pursuit (or obsession) so that the man can be single-eyed and focused enough to seek God (Matt. 6:25-34). Whether his needs are met or not, his passionate and heartfelt desire is to be saved. This faith (that is in Jesus) will still end up meeting our needs, but it will be in God’s own way and time; but much more, it affords us the opportunity to obtain Salvation (Matt. 6:33).

Hence, the emphasis on learning and living by the Faith of the Son of God!

Also, are all these things in the Bible?

Yes, they are.

The reason they are not easily seen when we go through Scriptures is because Satan and wicked spirits (Eph. 6:12) blinded the eyes of our understanding, thus darkening our minds not to prosper in the comprehension of God (2 Cor. 4:4). By reason of the fall of man in the beginning, man was trained by these wicked spirits to be carnal in his understanding. Though he might be sincere, a carnal man would naturally drag things spiritual to the level of his own understanding—by default. What God calls ‘A’, a carnal man would naturally call it ‘Z’; he cannot help it. 1 Cor. 2:14 says, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned”. Though a carnal man might excel in the reading of scriptures, but if he has not been healed of the blindness of his heart, he would read and not see (or understand). In hearing, a carnal man would hear (these truth) and not understand (Matt. 13:13). No matter what he does, he cannot see these precious treasures of the word of God (2 Pet. 1:4a), because he doesn't even know that there are any treasures to be discovered in the first place.

For this reason, one of the major commissions of the New Testament and one of the major reasons for the New Birth is to have the eyes of our understanding opened—or enlightened (Eph. 1:15-20). Jesus’ pattern has always been to raise men, deal with them for the opening of their eyes and give them back to His body to, in turn, open the eyes of others (Acts 26:18, Eph. 4:8-14). Also, we must always remember that these things which are not easily seen in scriptures are precious things that are of great price in the sight of God. They are precious things which, though God wants all men to see (1 Tim. 2:1-4, 2 Pet. 3:9), it is still in His jurisdiction to reveal it to anyone. That jurisdiction is what is called ‘Mercy’. Romans 9:15-16 says, “For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” It does not matter how wise a man is or how noble or righteous he might be. It does not matter how willing he is or how fast he is willing to run—if God holds these things back in Mercy, they cannot be seen (Matt. 11:25, 13:16-17, 16:13-17, Lk. 10:21, Jn. 12:38-40, 1 Cor. 1:19-31).

Thus, we must be humble before God and before His Word, seeking His Mercy always.

What led to the fall of Lucifer?

Ezekiel 28:11-18 completely x-rays the fall of Lucifer. Verse 17a says, “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness.”

So, we see that the fall of Lucifer began when he first looked at himself.

All things were created for God’s pleasure (Rev. 4:11). All things were created to serve the interest of God—just His and none other. The beginning of a fall is a deviation of anything created from this purpose. Despite how beautiful and bright God framed Lucifer to be, he was still expected to serve the interest of God wholeheartedly. One would need to be dead to his own interest to completely serve the interest of another, but the first time, we saw an angel who had not completely died to his own interest. Thus, it was difficult for him to serve God’s interest. Because he had his own interest at stake, he could not relish the thought of why everything was all about God or why God received (and still receives) all the worship of creatures; or why God deserves all the glory; or why He was and is still always mentioned on the lips of everyone.

So, we saw that there arose a multitude of trafficking within him (Vs. 16 and 18) - thoughts; buying and selling of thoughts. "Why are we never noticed in our service to God? Why is this? Why is that?” He considered some thoughts, took some and dropped some. He had times when he considered the gravity of what he was doing. He had times when he thought it through and thoroughly. He had times when he strengthened himself and his will against God. The fear of departing from God must have gripped him at some points, but he defied all. His will was involved; he was not ignorant.

So, for the first time, we saw a creature give birth to a life which could no longer tolerate or stay in the presence of God.

Is the meeting not too long?

No, it is not.

Even eternity is not enough to search out the unsearchable riches of God and of His Christ (Isa. 40:28, Eph. 3:8, Rom. 11:33-34). How much more our seventy years? How much more our twenty-four hours? How much more the one hour we think meetings should last for? If God knows that eternity is not enough time to search Him out, yet He still demands that we know Him, then we should know that our three, four, five hours are only an unrighteous token which He expects us to sow to obtain Him.

As believers, whenever we gather, we do not gather unto any minister of the gospel nor do we gather unto any ministry. When we gather, we do so unto our Lord Jesus (Matt. 18:20). This is highly fundamental. So, meetings are not the orchestrations of men. They are solely in the hands of Jesus, and He can do with any meeting as He pleases. The visitations of angels and of saints of old, the duration (whether long or short) and the manner of all meetings are determined by Him even though it does not look like it. All a minister is expected to do is to plug into the heart and the burden(s) of Jesus for that meeting.

After we have prayed that our parents and pastors would align to the heart of Jesus, we ought to trust and be at rest with whatever comes out of that alignment. We ought to receive whatever words, manner, demonstrations, visitations, and duration which comes out of it with thanksgiving knowing that it was the Lord’s bidding that they carried out, and not theirs. If the Lord has a lot to say to us and He would need day and night to declare them to us through His ministers (Acts 20:7, 31, 1 Thess. 2:8-9), then we would receive it with thanksgiving.

Why is this teaching not common in the body?

It is good to know that the Present Church, i.e., the body of Christ has gone through different phases of growth. There was a time when the Church was in the dark ages. At this time many false and erroneous teachings flew around the atmosphere and scriptures were interpreted wrongly to suit many fleshly desires. The reason why it was called ‘‘Dark Ages’’ is because there was absence of the light of the scriptures. The Lord Jesus had to light up the flame and there was a revival of the baptism of the Holy Ghost. In the early 1900’s popularly called Azusa Street revival, the need and emphasis of the baptism of the Holy Ghost was restored and we saw the Present-day Church just like we see in Acts Chapter 2. It was an infant Church that needed to go through the different phases of growth

The reason for the explanation above is to explain the growth process of the Present Church in different phases and seasons. After the Azusa revival, the Church was trained in the rudiments or first principle of the doctrine – The milk of the word (1 Cor. 3:2). God raised our father Rev. Kenneth Hagin to ground the body in the milk of the word which was the greatest need of the Church back then. The foundation and rudiments of the milk such as: the teaching of human spirit, soul and body, the operations and workings of the gifts of the Spirit, the New Birth, the teaching of faith in the Lord Jesus and towards God, workings of healing and other fundamental teachings as listed in Hebrews 6:1-2 was expounded. The whole body of Christ at large was raised to understand these teachings and drink the milk of the word – for as many that submitted under the teachings of Hagin. Many of our fathers in the body of Christ today did submit under Hagin and have their roots traced to his loins. Many went for Rev. Kenneth Hagin camp meeting and were imparted and anointed by him.

But the teachings of the milk of the word isn’t all about the Lord Jesus. As a matter of truth, the milk of the word is to point a believer to the next allocation of the word of God which is the unveiling of the meat of the word or the doctrine and gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16). This is clearly seen in Eph 1:15-18. Paul acknowledged that the Ephesian Church had been trained in the milk of the word. They had fruits of “faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the saints’’, but he went further to pray for the workings of the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation, that the eyes of their understanding be enlightened to know the “hope of his calling, true riches of the glory of the inheritance in the saints, exceeding greatness of resurrection power’’. All these stated above and more are expounded and taught in the meat of the word where Christ is unveiled with the aim of conforming such soul to His image (Romans 8:29)

Now, the present Church has lingered and stayed so much in the first allocation of the word, that is the milk, but the Lord has started calling for an upward movement where, by the operation of the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation, there will be a revelation of righteousness by His faith and a clear painting of the hope of His calling, i.e., Eternal Life (Titus 1:1-2). It is possible to struggle with the next allocation of the word (i.e., the meat) and shy away from its demands when you have stayed long in the previous and enjoyed its benefits. However, it can only take the doctrine of Christ to expose the flesh, the old man and the mystery of sin and death with the aim of delivering you from that law of sin and death and bringing you into the righteousness which is by faith (Rom. 1:16-17, Gal 5:5, Phil 3:8-9). The uncommonness of the message presently is because there are only a few believers who have agreed to embrace the demands of this faith life. It is also due to the gradual and wise introduction of the message to the body by Jesus, ordained timing and seasons for its widespread. But it is good we know that the message of the Kingdom must be preached in all nations of the world so that all will be without excuse, and the knowledge of the glory of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14).

How and when will I understand these things?

The understanding of the mysteries of Christ is given to those that desire it and enquire about it (Matt. 5:6). An indication that you are a seeker and loving enquirer is that you continue doggedly in hearing and obedience of these things. The former is very crucial and important while the latter is equally important. Someone who just started hearing these words and hasn’t yet got much understanding should continue in hearing and get a Pastor who can lead him or her in this path. If you are a student faced with an academic problem, perhaps a question which hasn’t been proving difficult to solve, what do you do? Do you just push it aside and forget about it? No! You keep on at it and research answers until you find it. Thus, in the context of this question, is to continue steadfastly in hearing and obedience. Many things are done in your soul just by hearing, though there might not be physical evidence to show for it and it may seem as though there is no understanding but (actually) many things are deposited in the soul. These spiritual substances do a work in the heart and would be made manifest later. It’s just like a planting phase where the seed dropped in the soil and for a while, nothing is evidently seen outside, but there is a lot going on in the soil. So, keep hearing! (Rom. 10:16-17). Furthermore, in continual hearing, answers to questions are provided.

Another thing you as a student will do is that you will enquire from those who are ahead of you, those who have encountered similar problems in times past, those who have more wisdom and skill than you. This, in the context of this question is submitting to Pastors, having a Pastor over you and also submitting to the brethren of like precious faith. Inquiring from your brethren and your Pastors will bring more clarity on things you don’t understand

Submitting to the dealings of the Spirit according to the doctrine will also bring an increase in understanding. By submitting to the dealings of the Spirit here, I’m referring to being subject to the way of faith, obedience to the path that the faith paves for you, walking in love towards your brother and sister and discerning the grace of God amidst the company and over your Pastor. These will increase your understanding of the mysteries of the Kingdom

Why do we always major on the word and neglect powers like miraculous power, healing power etc.?

The coming of Jesus to save man and to destroy the works of the devil is not firstly for the body, but for the soul, then the body. The problem of man isn’t firstly the bodily diseases, but the infirmities of the soul. What brought about the issues in the body is because the soul had journeyed so far away from God by using the law of sin to live. The reign and dominion of sin after killing the spirit of man was to train and kill the soul also. The training of the soul by sin is a process and it was hampered by the coming of Jesus and the introduction of the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. The power of the Gospel according to Romans 1:16-17, is unto Salvation and for the revelation of the righteousness of God.

Our God is a powerful being. He is a God of Powers. He can work miraculous powers, supernatural powers, healing powers, but the power that is of Him is such that can bring a man to Salvation. Salvation here speaks of a man coming into a place where he has the very life and essence of God in him. The very power of God hidden in the Gospel is the ability of God to turn a carnal/fleshly man to a spiritual man and ultimately make him partake of the divine nature. That is the miracle of the soul – that Jesus could take a fisherman (Peter) and when He finished with him (in teaching, and raising), he became an apostle of the Lamb and a preacher of everlasting righteousness, just like the other disciples.

Miraculous power, and healing powers for the body do not change the soul of a man. It does not renew the mind and transform the heart (Romans 12:1-2). For the mind to be renewed, you need the unveiling of the Gospel of Christ and feeding on the word of God. The miraculous is a function of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and they manifest as the Spirit wills, usually as a sign to those who are outside the Church (unbelievers), to persuade them to get born again. But after the New Birth, the emphasis on the believer is spiritual growth. Spiritual growth from childhood to sonship is by the revelation of the righteousness of Christ. The true health of the physical body of a believer is dependent on the soul’s prosperity or growth (3 John 2). Sometimes, the workings of miraculous powers can distract a believer from focusing on “sitting down and hearing sound doctrine’’. Eventually we get to see that the body comes into wholeness when the soul is made whole in Christ Jesus.

Why is your own Christ teaching unnecessarily lengthy?

The preaching of the words of Christ is what can bring wholeness to the soul (John 15:3). The consistent and steady preaching of Christ and Him crucified has the power to purge a soul from his old ways and make him a new man in Christ Jesus. Staying on the words of Christ cannot be underemphasized because in it lies the redemption of a soul from its fallen state. The length of teachings is due to the magnitude of work that is to be done in a short time.

It is good to know that we have been under the ministrations of this world all our lifetimes. Everywhere we go, the world is preaching. In the restaurant, in the schools, in public places, on the road, the world is preaching and selling its goods to us (1 John 5:19). How much more are we to stay under the ministrations of Christ. A soul that can stay under the ministration of Christ for lengthy hours shows his love for His things and for Him too. What a man loves doing, he spends time on. Serial movies, sports, and many other things that we love take a whole lot of our time because we love doing them. Likewise, when a soul has been trained in Christ, he would not mind spending lengthy hours where Christ is being preached. The Psalmist (David) said he was glad when they said let us go into the house of the Lord. What informed this gladness was his love for the Lord and for His righteousness.

Remember that Paul preached consistently in Ephesus for three years, day and night, and the Ephesians disciples never grumbled nor complained but were completely engrossed and in love with his teachings. The disciples were so focused on the preaching of Paul that Eutychus fell down asleep during a midnight ministration from the third floor and died, but this did not affect the meeting. Everyone continued in hearing the ministration until the break of the morning when he came back to life. This initial work and labour of Paul was what laid the foundation for the Ephesian Church, raising men who could continue the work after Paul departed (Acts 20:7-32).

If you cannot stay through for lengthy hours under the ministration, and you really desire to, don’t be perturbed, continue to grow up in the spirit, continue to hear, pray for an increase in capacity, let your heart truly love the Lord and He’d increase that love. A time would come when it wouldn’t be a burden to you anymore but a thing of joy.

Why do you people stay long in teaching and preaching the word? I love the message but your meetings are too long

According to human behavioural patterns, is it safe to say that we spend time and resources on activities (or people, objects, etc) that we love or/and count to be essential/important. This assumption holds true for virtually all aspects of our lives including activities that are: important but not loved (counted to be enjoyable) e.g. rigorous formal education, loved but not essential e.g. hobbies, and both enjoyable and essential. Let us take a look at 1 Cor. 9:25 to see a typical example of time being spent on activities not necessarily enjoyable/loved but very essential to a cause.

“And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we are incorruptible.”

In this verse, the apostle Paul made reference to the strict training an athlete must be subjected to in order to win a trophy (check other versions of the bible). Putting it in retrospect, a typical pro athlete would train around 5-6 hours a day 6 days a week with ridiculous training intensity.

Therefore, another way to phrase this question is: “How important or essential is meeting/preaching of the word?”

From the end part of the scripture above (“…but we an incorruptible”), a believer’s primary cause or a believer’s hope is to attain an incorruptible crown - crown of life (James 1:12). Another way to see this accurately is Titus 1:2, where the hope of a believer was clearly spelt out - Eternal Life. Therefore, the most important and essential cause for a man is attaining/laying hold of Eternal Life which is Salvation.

According to the sovereign wisdom of God, the only way by which a believer can attain the hope of Eternal Life or experience Salvation is through the preaching of the gospel (1 Cor. 1:21). If we are to attain eternal reward that cannot perish, we have to subject ourselves to the only technology provided by God to achieve it, that is preaching. We are admonished from scriptures to labour and endure (2 Tim. 4:3, John 6:27) the preaching of the gospel as (even more than) a pro athlete does with his training for a corruptible crown. As we continue to labour and endure, hearing the preaching of God’s word would become an activity that is not only essential but loved and enjoyable.

EGFM RELATED QUESTIONS

What is the main emphasis of EGFM?

EGFM as a non-denominational ministry is centered on the teaching of the mysteries of Christ, the Father, and of God for the maturing of the saints/believers in the body of Christ; and for the actualization of the hope of Eternal Life which God promised before the world began.

How do I combine following EGFM meetings with my local church that does not teach Word of Righteousness?

It’s good to know first of all that EGFM meetings aren’t against or aimed at countering your local Church meetings/teachings, but to foster a wholesome understanding of the counsel of God for the believer and the Church at large as revealed in scriptures.

With this clarity in mind, anyone following EGFM meetings would discover that the meetings are with the intent to supply what is lacking and also bring realignment to hearts concerning fundamental truths in scriptures, to the end that God’s will is fulfilled to perfection in your life; and to help you to be better committed both to the Lord and your local church where you serve/worship.

As you are expected to be committed first of all to the Lord and then your local church where you worship, there are therefore no hard fast rule as to how to combine following EGFM meetings with that of your local church but to respond/act in wisdom as you grow in the understanding of truth in submission to the Lord/the leading of the Spirit, and the wisdom proffered by the counsel of spiritual authorities placed over you by God in truth.

Why do I need to still submit to spiritual authority when I have the Holy Spirit?

Submissions to spiritual authority is a central theme in the New Testament as exemplified first of all by our Lord Jesus in submitting to His parents and then to God in all things, as well as in all of the epistles, and these epistles were written to believers (Churches) like us who had the Holy Spirit. It is the same Holy Spirit who raised/appointed some to be overseers over God’s flock. Scriptures further sets rankings/order in the Church by naming some to be elders and the others to be younger, and instructed that the younger ought to submit to the elder (Luke 2:51, Acts 20:28, Ephesians 5:21, 1 Peter 5:5).

Having established that, just the way the newly born child isn’t found on the streets but in the care of his/her parents, and trained and guided through life until such a child attains maturity in the natural, so also the Holy ghost raised overseers in the Church (who are men) for the purpose of order in the Church and guidance of believers, in helping them both in submitting to the Lord (the Holy Spirit) better and in journeying from babyhood to perfection. It is true that we all have the Holy Ghost in us, but we all don’t hear/identify the voice the Holy ghost at the same capacity because we are at various stages of spiritual growth/maturity. Also knowing that we have an adversary who seeks to devour, the wisdom of submission to spiritual authority is put in place to ensure the maturing of the saints and their safe arrival at perfection (Ephesians 4:11-13, 1 Corinthians 16:15-16, 1 Corinthians 11:1, Hebrews 13:17, 1 Peter 5:6,8).

Therefore, submission to spiritual authority is done in obedience to scriptures and in patterning our lives after our Lord Jesus, the early apostles and the early/epistle Churches who all had the Holy Spirit.

Why do we always major on the word and neglecting power like miraculous power, healing power etc?

It is good to state clearly that the word which we major on is aimed at bringing about the so great salvation or what is seen in other portions of scriptures as the salvation of the soul, which is the central focus of the gospel/New Testament, as was firstly preached by our Lord Jesus Christ. The salvation of the soul is God’s utmost interest for us in the New Testament as revealed in scriptures (Hebrews 2:3, Acts 2:41, 47, James 1:21, 1 Peter 1:9-12).

While we don’t deny the place or the manifestation of miraculous power and healing power, it’s good to know that they are only but witnesses to the word of salvation being preached. The manifestations of these powers are only but interim provisions by God in His mercy to attend to natural needs/cares around this present life, as we journey unto the salvation of our souls by the word. Having established this, it is good to point out that these powers are made available by the Lord as He wills and cannot/shouldn’t be willed by man (Hebrews 2:4, Matthew 9:35, Luke 9:11, Acts 10:38, 1 Corinthians 12:7-11).

Furthermore, these powers aren’t and shouldn’t be the central focus of the believer’s life, as our Lord Jesus Christ further established that it takes continuity in the word only and not in any other thing to arrive at knowing the truth - which is God’s will for every believer (John 8:30-32, 1 Timothy 2:4).

Why does EGFM exalt Satan and preach sin consciousness?

Firstly, Satan is not exalted in EGFM. He has been overcome and conquered by our Lord Jesus Christ and reserved for eternal damnation. Jesus has obtained the victory over him, and what is left of us, the Church, is to war against and undo his works in us, therefore, making the triumph of Jesus true and evident in us (Heb 2:14, Col 2:15, Eph 6:12).

It is good to know that the greatest undoing in warfare is to be ignorant of the capacity or strength of an enemy. When he is underestimated or not properly discerned, defeat is inevitable. Therefore, the Church needs to properly and spiritually discern this fallen angel and his works in us so that the magnitude of warfare can be understood, lest we perish in ignorance (Eph 6:12, 2 Cor 2:11). The advantage of Satan over the Church is that he is still mysterious to the Church. This is why he still reigns as the god of this world even after being conquered by our Lord Jesus. The end of Satan’s reign upon the earth will take place when God raises men that can narrowly look at him and be raised above all his works (Isa 14:16).

Satan perverted the life God created him with and gave birth to iniquity. This iniquity is what he began to teach man. Iniquity is a mystery that men have regard for (2 Thess. 2:7, Psalm 66;18). It will take the revelation of righteousness in Christ Jesus to expose iniquity that is deeply seated in man. Therefore, as Christ Jesus is being magnified, sin and iniquity is exposed. In EGFM, Jesus Christ is exalted, for Satan to be undressed and sin exposed (Heb 5:14).

Therefore, the revelation of Jesus Christ is not aimed at making believers simply conscious of their sins, rather it exposes or unveils the mystery of sin and breaks its dominion over souls that submit to it.

Is EGFM a church?

EGFM is neither a denomination nor a local assembly, but a teaching and equipping center attended by people who play active roles in their local churches and ministries, both home (in Nigeria) and abroad. The Eternal Glorious Fountain Ministry is positioned in the body of Christ to supply resources for the growth and maturity of believers so that they can gradually and ultimately inherit the image and likeness of God. The template for getting this done is in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the pattern Son that God desires all believers to be conformed to.

What's the difference between EGFM and other churches?

EGFM is a ministry and not a church. That is why EGFM holds meetings on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and not on Sundays as everyone is expected to attend their various local churches. While local churches are necessary for the growth and maturity of the saints under a pastor, EGFM was set by the Lord primarily to reach the entire body of Christ with the wholesome knowledge of God that must be fully taught before the Lord Jesus comes. By the mercy and grace of God upon the commission, EGFM was established to echo the word of righteousness which communicates the ‘rightnesses’ of God as against the perverted righteousness that the world exalts. This knowledge that can immunize/inoculate a believer from sin and death is being taught in EGFM.

What is the meaning of someone speaking in tongue and another person interprets?

The Holy Ghost manifests diverse gifts within the Church for us to profit withal (1 Cor 12:7-11). The most prominent of these nine gifts that accompany the revelation of Jesus Christ are the utterance gifts which are diverse kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues and the gift of prophecy (1 Cor 12:31, 14:39).

Diverse kinds of tongues is the manifestation of the Holy Ghost in uttering or declaring a message in an unknown tongue. Being an unknown tongue, it cannot edify, exhort or comfort the Church until it is interpreted in a language that the Church understands. Hence one ought to interpret a message that was brought forth in tongues (1 Cor 14:5,12-13,27-28).

Interpretation of tongues is also an utterance gift which entails interpreting diverse kinds of tongues in a known language so the Church can be edified. Just as in the Corinthian Church, there are some who scripture calls interpreters (1 Cor. 14:28). These are those who beyond just operating the gift of interpretation of tongues, have been set by God to occupy that office (1 Cor 12:28,30). Hence, because of grace that they have received for that purpose and the ordination of the Holy Ghost, they bear most of the burden in bringing forth interpretation of tongues in public meetings. This manifestation of the Spirit ought to be very common in assemblies where the Spirit of revelation rests.

While the pastor was ministering, someone in the audience spoke in tongues, then someone else interpreted. I'm confused, was it planned? I've never seen something like that before

Firstly, you need to understand that what it is in operation is the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Ghost. The essence of the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Ghost is to testify and witness to the word. The gifts of the Holy Ghost according to 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 are nine in number and can be divided into three classes:

Utterance Gift- Prophecy, Diverse kinds of tongues, Interpretation of tongues
Power Gift – Working of miracles, Gift of healings, Gift of Faith
Revelational Gift – Word of knowledge, Word of wisdom and Discerning of spirits

The gift in operation in the scenario mentioned above belongs under the Utterance Gifts. The person who spoke in tongues is manifesting the gift of diverse kind of tongues while the person interpreting is under the operation of the gift of interpretation of tongues. When these gifts are in operation, they are not pre-planned; it is purely the workings of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost moves the people in manifesting those gifts.

God is not an author of confusion, and He does not seek to confuse His children. Clarity comes because of continuous learning of the ways of the Spirit. As we give ourselves to learning, our confusions are dispelled and clarity comes to focus.

Is this Christianity practicable?

Christianity is from the word ‘Christian’ and Christianity connotes living the Christ life. We all know that a reality will not be termed life except it be a reality that can be expressed or practiced. This implies that Christianity is a manner of life in the Spirit that ought to be the life we live.

The reason why Christianity looks sometimes unpractical is that there is a kind of life that Satan has taught us to live by. The lifestyle Satan taught us is totally conflictual and alien to the Christian life. It is this life we are holding onto that informs us that Christianity is not practicable. It tells us that Christianity is an abnormal way of life and there is no way it can be used to live. Meanwhile the lifestyle he has taught is actually the perverted and abnormal way to live. Therefore, we can now understand that our inability to live the Christ life is a result of a way of life that we are exposed to and what we use to live.

It is good to know that living the Christ life is the approved way of living in God’s sight. However, this cannot be achieved except we are exposed to the doctrine that can produce this manner of life. What makes Christianity practicable is doctrine, when a soul continuously gives itself to hearing and submission to doctrine, a life will be formed inside of the soul. This formation of life is what will now be expressed or practiced in our day-to-day activities. This formation of life is what will inform our decisions, our conversations and our behavior. We should not be discouraged when the word sometimes looks unrealistic and unpractical; rather we should believe and keep on hearing, following and obeying, knowing that a work is already going on and after a while, the fruit will become evident.

FOUNDATIONAL QUESTIONS

What is Suffering?

After man fell by reason of Adam partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the soul of man began to depreciate in quality because of the presence of sin; the soul began to die. The death in the soul is as a result of the gradual working of the nature of sin (Rom. 6:23). The wisdom of sin is to make its nature (flesh) one with the soul, where sin becomes the life of man or the default manual for living (Rom. 7:15-21). This nature is skillfully woven by a being (Satan) who is full of wisdom (Ezek. 28:12). It would take the unveiling of a wiser being (Jesus Christ) to free man from this nature (Eph. 4:20-24).

The gospel, according to scriptures, is the preaching of the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose nature is totally against that which is in man. The preaching of Christ and Him crucified comes to rid us of sin which has over time become our life (1 Cor. 1:23, 1 Cor. 2:2, Gal. 2:20). Hence, the Holy Ghost begins to instruct us against this life (flesh); this is what is called Suffering or the Leading of the Spirit (Rom. 8:14, 1 Pet. 4:1-3). It is called 'suffering' because it is neither comfortable nor conducive for flesh/us. Jesus speaking to His disciples in Mark 8:34 said, "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself..." showing that denying the flesh is denying oneself. The cross is the instrument through which every believer must crucify or utterly separate himself from the world (Gal. 6:14). The process of crucifixion is a deliberate obedience to the Holy Ghost for the removal of wrong natures such as pride, envy, jealousy, strife etc.

Obedience to the commandments of the New Testament is in turn, disobedience to sin and death. The hope of the New Testament is to give the very nature that is in Jesus Christ to man. As we obey and deny ourselves, we die to or become unresponsive to sin until Christ fully becomes our life (Col. 3:3).

What is Brethren Life?

The preaching of the doctrine of Christ communicates a manner of life which every believer ought to express (2 Tim. 3:10). This conversation can only be expressed by believers whose eyes are being enlightened by the revelation of Christ (Eph. 1:17-19). According to the wisdom penned down in the epistles, this life produced by the obedience to the doctrine of Christ is called ‘Charity’ or ‘the Love of the Brethren’ (1 Pet. 1:22). From 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, we see that it is possible to do many good things but without Charity, it is counted null. It then shows that Charity is firstly an understanding or a law that produces the conversation of brethren. Without the giving of this law called Charity, it is impossible to live the life of Christ (Jam. 3:13).

One important thing to note is that the brethren life cannot be expressed without hearing the doctrine of Christ. Understanding the doctrine of Christ initiates one into the leading of Spirit. It is the yielding to the demands of the leading of the Spirit that works this life. Anyone who hasn't been led by the Spirit according to the doctrine of Christ would at best be religious, and will be unable to live Christ.

Conversations which are found among brethren as shown in the epistles of Christ are meekness, lowliness, submission one to another (1 Pet. 5:5), preferring one another (Rom. 12:10), esteeming the other better than yourself (Phil. 2:3), looking on the things of others rather than on your own things (Phil. 2-4), provoking one another to good works (Heb. 10:24) etc. We see other attributes in 1 Cor. 13.

What does it mean for the soul to walk?

When God created man, He created his spirit and soul and formed his body from the dust of the ground (Gen. 1:26-27, Gen. 2:7). So, man is essentially a spirit, he has a soul and lives in a body (1 Thess. 5:23, Heb. 4:12). It is good to note that each compartment is a man. Scripture refers to the spirit as the inner man (Eph. 3:16), the soul as the inward man (Rom. 7:22) and the body as the outward man (2 Cor. 4:16). Adam's partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil caused his spirit to die or to be unresponsive to God (Gen. 2:16-17). The spirit of man is made to respond instantaneously; it is likened to a candle (Prov. 20:27). However, the soul is not an instantaneous entity (Psa. 18:28). Rather, it operates through knowledge.

The soul, being a man (inward man) which runs by knowledge, has the ability to walk (Eph. 2:1-2). After man fell in the garden of Eden, man began to walk according to the knowledge it had acquired by reason of eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This knowledge is called ‘Sin’. Ephesians 2:2 further shows that men for generations had walked according to the course of this world, under the tutelage of the prince of the power of the air. If we walked according to a course, we must have been given the knowledge of that course as every course has its knowledge, even in the natural. It is the soul that has the ability to do this walk. For every course in the natural, one cannot advance in its learning without obeying the laws around that course. Such laws include reading, understanding, writing and passing tests and examinations. The soul must also learn and obey the laws guiding every knowledge it encounters for it to progress. This learning and obedience is what makes the soul to walk.

At New Birth, the spirit of a believer gets quickened or regenerated. This regeneration makes the spirit to become Christ or to become one with the Lord (Rom. 8:10, 1 Cor. 6:17). After one gets born again, the natures that have been formed in the soul by reason of walking according to this world's course have to be removed (Eph. 4:22-24). This can only happen if one learns a contrary, and higher nature called Christ (Matt. 11:28-30, Eph. 4:20). Every believer must receive Christ by learning and then walk by the wisdom he has received (Col. 2:6).In other words, every believer must learn and obey the revelation of Christ for Christ to be formed in the soul (Gal. 4:19). The obedience to the commandments of Christ is what makes the soul walk. Hence, Christ must first be revealed and then the believer must obey or walk according to the revelation the soul has received.

How do I know I am walking in hope?

Hope is a spiritual attainment that the soul of a man arrives at, in his journey to God. Hope is a level or allocation in the doctrine of Christ where the promise of Eternal Life is becoming more tangible to a soul. This is ascertained or determined by the response of the soul in seasons of trials and tribulations.

One attribute of a soul who is walking in the hope of the gospel is that, such a soul is no longer ashamed of the gospel of Christ (Rom. 1:16, 5:5). The season of the formation of hope in the soul is characterized with tribulations or sufferings (Rom. 5:3). The purpose of the tribulations is to try the substances called faith which the soul has been taught, in order for that faith to become the lifestyle or conversation of the soul (1 Pet. 1:7).

Another attribute of a soul walking in hope is that such a soul can wait for the promise of God (Eternal Life) even when the promise seems yet afar off. Hope will birth patience, meaning such a soul is unwavering concerning the promise (1Thes. 1:3). Amidst the trials, tribulations, contradictions encountered on the path to Eternal Life, a soul in hope doesn’t doubt the reality of the promise and such a soul is ready to endure the storm because of how tangible the promise has become (Rom. 4:18-20).

What is the word of righteousness?

The word of righteousness is an allocation of God’s word which is also called the gospel of Christ or the faith of the Son. There are three allocations of God’s word: milk, meat and strong meat of the word. So, the word of righteousness is called the meat of the word (Rom. 1:16, Heb. 5:12-14, 6:1)

The word of righteousness is the doctrine of Christ that is capable of bringing a soul into God’s righteousness. It is a kind of word or teaching that archives how Jesus overcame sin in the days of His flesh. The word of righteousness spells out the doctrine, conversation/manner of life that the soul ought to first receive as teaching, and then carry out obedience to its demands/counsels in order to come into the righteousness of God (2Tim. 3:10, Rom. 1:5).

The word of righteousness has 3 divisions, namely; Faith, Hope and Charity (1Cor. 13:13). These divisions are both teachings and conversations embodied in our Lord Jesus Christ, and that can also be passed across to us via learning and submission to the demands of the word of righteousness.

6. <b>Why do I need to submit to spiritual authority when I have the Holy Spirit?</b>

At New Birth, every believer received the Holy Spirit. This means every believer has the Holy Ghost dwelling in their inner man (regenerated human spirit). It’s good to know that believers are not all at the same level of growth, meaning that every leading or impression picked from their spirit cannot be fully trusted because of the level of growth in their souls. The soul can be a babe, child or man (Heb. 5:13, 1Cor. 3:1, 13:11)

Although every believer has the same Holy Spirit within them, but the soul is pivotal in the interpretation of leading and judgments picked from the spirit. The level of growth the soul has attained determines the accuracy of judgment or leading picked from our spirit. Hence, the need for submission to spiritual authority. An authority is one that God placed over the sheep to guide, lead and ensure God’s people receive the promise of Eternal Life. They are called ‘shepherd’ or ‘under-shepherd’ under the Chief-Shepherd (1Pet. 5:1-2).

So as believers, we are expected to submit to spiritual authorities because they not only have higher judgment on matters that we encounter, but they have been led, broken and have gained experience over the years that we don’t have. Hence, we must be humble and meek to always submit our leadings, judgments, decision makings, etc. to spiritual authorities (1Pet. 5:5-6).

Hope is too much of a mirage to me, please can you shed more light on it?

Hope is the reason for existence. It is referred to as the anchor of the soul (Heb. 6:19). The hope of the gospel is simply the reason why man was created. It transcends human ideology, culture, tradition or philosophy of man. Hope is the reason why Jesus died for man. Scriptures records that, “…in hope of Eternal Life which God that cannot lie, promised to man before the world began (Tit. 1:2).

So, it’s evident from scriptures that the reason for creation (heaven, earth and their inhabitants) was for the purpose of giving man Eternal Life (Gods kind of Life) (Gen. 1:26, Jn. 17:2-3, Rom. 8:29, 1Jn. 2:25). So, hope influences how man thinks and lives. Satan perverted the hope of man and gave him other hopes to seek for. What makes a man an enemy of God is the seeking of another life outside what God promised (Gen. 3:1-7, Matt. 6:19-34)? So, Satan crafted this world as a tool to lure man outside the hope of the gospel (Jas. 4:4, 1 Jn. 2:15-16).

The only way the hope of the gospel can be actualized is through the learning of mysteries, namely; Mystery of Christ, Mystery of the Father and the Mystery of God (Col. 2:2). The promise of Eternal Life can be embodied if the soul can submit to the tutelage of the Spirit, and is ready to align with all the ordinances of scriptures that is demanded of the soul (Rom. 8:14, Gal. 4:1-7, Heb. 5:8-9).

Is there any provision in EGFM to address my natural needs through the Word of God?

God is a loving Father who cares for every of His creature. God is concerned about our natural needs more than we can think or comprehend. God is detailed about our natural needs down to our shelter, feeding, health etc. When God created Adam, God was the one in charge of all of his natural needs even down to the time and need of a wife. Adam was not alive to the issues of his natural needs being met, rather his only need was to partake of the Tree of Life.

By the reason of the fall, Satan awoken the consciousness to natural needs/needs around this present life and exalted them higher than the need to look for God. Satan taught men to channel their soul energies towards the pursuit of their natural needs and made it what we ought to live for. This wrong pursuit is what makes men carnal and unable to seek God.

In EGFM, we do not firstly address the issue of needs; rather we redirect the pursuit of the soul to the seeking of the Kingdom. When the pursuit of the soul ceases from that of having natural needs met to inheriting the Kingdom of God, the soul has become spiritual. A spiritual soul is a soul that has been raised above his natural needs. EGFM might not directly address your need, rather you will be taught to know what you are meant to be living for rather than living for your needs. The order of scriptures is that seeking the Kingdom should be our only pursuit, and then by so doing ‘every other thing shall be added’, which includes our natural needs.

Is Christ this hard, Bible said simplicity?

Christ is a body of knowledge that should be taught and learnt in the Church. Just as natural knowledge is divided into different stages, so also is the teaching of Christ. The teaching of Christ is in different stages (faith, hope and charity). The reason for this division is to clearly spell out the journey, and so that we would be able to identify our state in Christ.

Christ is a mystery that can only be de-mystified through the medium of revelation. If the scriptures call Christ a “mystery”, then it will take men who have been graced by the Spirit to unravel Him. The teaching of Christ can sometimes be hard to be understood, the reason it is so is as a result of the way our minds had been previously wired or configured. Satan wired or framed the mind against the learning of Christ. This is why we do not just hear with our minds, rather with our spirits.

It is good to know that the Bible did not say that Christ is simple; rather it spoke about the simplicity in Christ. The simplicity in Christ implies that the manner of communicating Christ is through the foolishness of preaching and teaching.

QUESTIONS RELATED TO CORE DIVISION OF THE GOSPEL

How will I know I am already walking in the faith, hope, and charity allocation of Christ?

The hope that God had in mind when He made man is that man would also have His very life, which is Eternal Life (Tit. 1:2). Our Lord Jesus Christ, during the days of His flesh, spent all of His life in search of the hope of Eternal Life as He was being led by God. Hence, the proof that we're walking in Christ is that our previous hopes have been redefined and our souls have agreed upon the hope of Eternal Life as what we live for. At this point, the Lord brings dealings that pertain to the realm of Christ for the sole essence of making Christ dwell in our heart.

What is the difference between Christ and the Son of God?

When our Lord Jesus Christ was on earth, as He was growing in age, He revealed and lived the only manner of life that is acceptable to God until He sat on God's throne (1 Pet. 2:4, Heb. 12:2). This manner of life He showed are in different phases according to His level in growth. What characterizes these phases are the demands of obedience from God, of which He found grace to obey (Heb. 5:8). The bible defines these phases of obedience as mainly realms of Christ and realms of God. A man who fully obeys the commandments in a phase makes his nature (or manner of life) to be likened unto to the same nature as it is seen in Jesus for that particular phase.

What is special about faith of the son? Or what really is the difference between faith towards God and faith of the son?

Truly, the faith of the Son (or faith of our Lord Jesus) is very special, and that's because it is the kind of faith that our Lord Jesus used to please God while on the earth. No man had ever used this kind of faith on the earth before our Lord Jesus. Though, the patriarchs of old walked in a faith (called the faith towards God) that is similar to the Faith of the Son, it is still very inferior to it.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for (Heb 11:1). Hence, the core difference between the Faith of the Son and Faith towards God is the hope they seek to actualize. For the Faith of the Son, the hope is Eternal life (Tit. 1:1-2, 1 Tim. 6:12).For Faith towards God, the hope is a good report from God or a hope of a better resurrection (Heb. 11:35, 39).

What is the difference between the milk of the word and the meat of the word?

We must know that the expected end of every believer is to have Eternal Life (1 Tim. 6:12). Eternal Life can only be attained in a gradual process of feeding on the word of God.

The milk of the word and meat of the word are the first two allocations of the word (1 Cor. 3:2). These allocations are very similar to the natural growth of a man. For a newly born baby, his meal starts with milk only till he gradually starts taking solid food. The main food of man that can make him grow is solid food. But as a baby, the milk would help prepare the body for a time of feeding on solid meals.

The meat of the word redefines and gradually gives the expected end of every man to the believer, which is to have Eternal Life. However, sometimes, the soul of a new believer is not ready for such redefinition of hope. God in His wisdom introduced the milk of the word to help culture the soul to the point that it can receive the meat of the word. The milk of the word would establish the soul of the believer in the love towards all the saints and faith in the Lord Jesus (Eph. 1:15).

Why are we separating God from the Father?

In Colossians 2:2, scripture speaks of the mystery of God, of the Father, and of Christ. These weren't used without concise purpose. This verse shows that there is the mystery of God, the mystery of the Father and the mystery of Christ. These mysteries are in stages which begins with the mystery Christ. The intent of God is to open up or reveal Himself to man as God or Eternal Life (John 17:3). However, the only way that God can reveal Himself as Eternal Life is by coming down to us as a Father. In His raw form as God, He is too weighty for man's comprehension. It is the Father that receives men and schools them by unveiling the mystery of the Father, until they are ready to comprehend the mystery of God. From the epistles, we see that the apostles showed this understanding always by bringing greetings from 'God and the Father' of our Lord Jesus Christ (Col. 1:3, 1 Thess. 1:3, 1 Pet. 1:3).

The mystery of the Father is also known as the teaching of Everlasting Life which is the way to the Eternal Life or the mystery of God (John 12:50)

Psalm 139:24 KJV And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.


It is a man who has learnt the curriculum of the Father that can be taught the doctrine of Eternal Life. However, as a result of man's degradation, man lost the strength/capacity in his soul to receive the mystery of the Father. Hence, God brought out a mystery, called Christ, which had been in Him since the foundation of the world. The mystery of Christ is that which is in God that a carnal man can relate with. Christ is what will turn a man from carnality into being a spiritual man who can receive the mystery of the Father.

If God is the Father and Jesus is the Son of God, where does that leave the Holy Ghost?

In 1 John. 5:7, we see the unbreakable threefold cord of the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost. What binds them together is their Godhood or the record that they bear which is Eternal life. However, when they set out to bring man into Their fellowship, it was expedient that one of them would have to come to earth to show man how to come into their fellowship. The Word chose to be made flesh, die for us and return back to the Godhead as the Son of God (John 1:14). The Word came in likeness of sinful flesh and became who we now refer to as Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:21, Rom. 8:3). He was tutored by the Father until he embodied the full nature of God.

After Jesus who was the Word finished His course on earth, He had to return back to the Father on the throne. Hence, the Holy Ghost took the place of serving the purpose of this noble cause as the Spirit of Truth and to seal the spirits of believers who are born again (John 14:16-17, Eph. 1:13).

This does not make Him any lesser loved or lower than the Father and the Son. Rather, it shows that each entity in the Godhead can do anything for the actualization of the Eternal purpose, which is to bring man into Their fellowship. The Holy Ghost, though does not speak of Himself but Jesus, is as much a custodian of Eternal Life as the Father and Jesus Christ.

In summary, the bond of love they share is Eternal and They only embodied these personalities for the sake of man. The Holy Ghost is as much God as the Father is God and as the Son is God - this is the fellowship They share with each other.

The preacher said something about faith towards God and Faith of the Son; I thought Faith is Faith?

From Hebrews 6:1-2, we see that Faith towards God is one of the foundations of the principles of the doctrine of Christ. This Faith is what prepares a believer to live a life that is supernatural, which is higher than the life that a natural man lives by. This Faith is an ingredient in milk which is the first course or meal for a babe or a new believer. Here, the believer learns to trust the invisible/God for his needs. This Faith, however, does not remove the carnal nature in the soul of the believer as a result of the law of sin and death. Rather, it slows down the pace at which the believer walks in carnality. Having faith in Jesus or trusting God prepares the believer to receive a higher Faith that is IN Jesus Christ, which is the Faith of the Son of God.

The Faith of the Son speaks of the faith that makes up our Lord Jesus. It is the faith authored and finished by Jesus Christ (Heb. 12:2). This faith comprises substances that makes Jesus the Christ. It is this faith that pleases God as it is what Jesus Christ used get to the Father (Heb. 11:6). The preaching of the faith of the Son deals with and removes the nature of sin from the souls of believers. It is the only faith that can overcome sin and death. Apostle Paul called it the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:2). The Faith of the Son houses the righteousness of God which must be revealed (Rom. 1:16-17).

It is important to emphasise that Faith is not Faith; faith differs in the spirit. From Hebrews 11, we see the patriarchs in the Old Testament display different expressions of faith but in the twelfth chapter of Hebrews, we see another faith authored and finished by Jesus. If it was authored by Jesus, it is safe to say that no other saint before Jesus lived by that faith. Even in the Faith of the Son, there are cadres of faith; "For therein is the righteousness of God from faith to faith…" (Romans 1:17). This shows that righteousness is revealed from one level of faith to another.

Is there a difference between Christ and God? I thought they were the same.

According to Titus 1:2, 1John2:25, Eternal life is the promise of God to man. Eternal life which is the very core of God, is the life in God. However, because of sin (Romans 5:12), which is another way of life, man fell short of the pursuit of Eternal life. In other words, man deviated from the path that leads to Eternal life. So, there is a program of life called Christ which our Lord Jesus embodied for us; this program of life is what leads or restores man back to the promise.

In John 14:6, Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life that no man can come to the Father (the beginning of Eternal life) but by me. In other words, we cannot come to the promise of Eternal life without learning the program of life called Christ. It is also good to know that Christ is a program of life, not the surname of Jesus. So, Christ the way, the truth and the life is a program of life that brings man back to look for God (Eternal Life). Without the learning of this program of life called Christ, God won’t open Himself to you. Because the life called Christ is the only life approved of God, it is the only life God trusts.

So, according to Titus 2:11-13, it is clear that the essence of Christ is to look for God.

What is the difference between faith towards God and Faith of the Son?

Every faith has an intention of delivering a result. What differentiates between the two kinds of Faith is the end result it produces. In Hebrews 6:1-3, faith towards God is listed as one of the foundational principles of the doctrine of Christ and can also be identified as a very vital aspect of the milk dimension of God’s word (Heb. 5:12-14).

Faith towards God, also known as faith in the Lord Jesus according to the New Testament, is the understanding of the reality of God’s word in your heart, which then drops a divine energy within your heart, such that makes you to act or believe on God’s word. Our Lord Jesus Christ gave us an insight into this faith in (Mark 11:22-24). If you have this faith, you can have whatsoever you desire. This faith is basically aimed at helping a believer to trust God and not his own strength to meet his carnal needs which may be financial provision, healing, miracles etc. This faith is generated in the heart by understanding what the word of God says concerning a situation and believing it, no matter what your sight informs you (2 Cor. 5:7). Also, there is a need for a corresponding confession based on the understanding that the heart has received.

Lastly, this faith provides a medium through which the babe in Christ can reach out in trust into the invisible to obtain his carnal needs, aspirations, ambitions.

Faith of the Son:

This is the faith for the hope of the promise according to Titus 1:2/1 John2:25. It is the faith for the inheritance (1 Peter 1:3-4). The hope of this faith is not to meet your carnal needs as in faith towards God but to conform to the image of the Son. This faith grows the believer from being a babe to becoming a son; it is the faith that spiritually matures the believer (1 Cor. 13:11). In this faith, the believer is taught to live for a hope that is higher than what his physical eyes can see or what mere men live for (Acts 26:18-20). And there are principles of life that governs or drives this faith; and they include Faith, Hope and Charity (1 Cor. 13:13). Every believer that desires the promise of Eternal Life must pass through this faith, as this faith is what purifies the believer and makes he/she to become holy according to what God calls holy.

This is the faith that overcomes the world (a life against faith) in the soul of the believer (1 John 5:4). This is the faith that preserves the soul of the believer from the corruption that is in this present evil world for God (Gal. 1:4). Whosoever lives by this faith is being prepared for the inheritance. This faith also separates the believer from the lusts of men and disciplines the believer to live the rest of his time in the flesh to the will of God.

Our Lord Jesus while on earth had only one hope which is the hope of Eternal Life (Matt. 6:33, John 17:1-3). By the reason of this hope, he lived a ‘kind of life’ which was completely alien to the life of men and through this faith expression, He obtained the promise of Eternal Life. This manner of life was completely anti that of the world (John 16:33). It was a unique lifestyle that the world could not understand. The goal of this manner of life was to destroy the standards of life the world has set for all men to live out.

What is the difference between milk of the word, meat of the word and the strong meat of the word?

First of all, it is good to know that these are all the allocation of God’s word prepared for every believer to come into their eternal inheritance.

Milk of the word: Just like in the natural where the initial food given to a newborn baby is milk, the allocation of God’s word prepared for the new born believer (one who is ignorant of the life of God) is the milk of the word. The milk of the word is the allocation of God’s word that a carnal believer can understand, relate with and use (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). It is good to note that the milk of the word is beyond a tool for asking and receiving carnal things from God, but contains vital living principles the new born believer ought to live by and should grow in.

Meat of the word: This is the next allocation of God’s word that changes the hope of the believer from pursuing ephemeral and mundane things to earnestly pursue Eternal Life (1 Tim. 6:12). This is the allocation of God’s word that opens the believer into a season of knowledge (Isaiah 28:7) which enlightens the darkened understanding of the believer to firstly realize, by spiritual understanding, what the hope of God’s calling for the Church is (Eph. 1:18).

Strong meat of the word: According to Hebrews 5:14, it is clear that strong meat is a higher season of knowledge and the last allocation of God’s word; and it is for those who are spiritually mature (those who have come to the full allocation that is in the meat of God’s word). The essence of this teaching is to raise the senses of the mature believer to discern both good and evil which the former (meat) allocation of God’s word could not discern, so that the mature believer will be able to choose the good and hate the evil (Isaiah 7:15), just like our Lord Jesus who loved righteousness and hated iniquity (Heb. 1:9).

Is everlasting life and eternal life not the same?

No, everlasting life and Eternal Life are not the same but according to Isaiah 62:11,they are both properties of Salvation. The coming of salvation to the daughters of Zion can be captured as works and reward. Everlasting life is the work, while Eternal Life is the reward. To further establish this thought, we see in the epistles, that in the revelation/appearing of salvation to believers who have attained the nature of Christ, what was first revealed to them are works.

In the letters written to the seven (7) Churches in the book of Revelation, when writing to them respectively, the angel that appeared to apostle John in commending and reproving these churches began on the note of identifying their works; by classifying their works from those that they did to attain Christ (faith, patience, labor, service) to the good works (learning of salvation) they were currently engaging, which for the church in Thyatira he called first and last works (Rev. 2:18-19) - also the church in Ephesus (Rev 2:1-2,4).

These Churches in book of revelation had already began engaging the works of salvation, that is, these works were already being revealed to them. However, while their works were being identified, it is clearly seen in the account of each of the Churches, that a promise was attached to the completion of their works. Using the Churches of Thytira (Rev. 2:26)and Ephesus (Rev. 2:7) for instance, the promises made to an overcomer (an overcomer is one who has kept the works of salvation to the end, in other words one who has finished all the works of salvation revealed to him) is the reward. There is a reward attached to overcoming, which was ascribed to each of the seven (7) Churches. The commendation and reproof of the angel to each of these Churches identified both the works expected to be carried out by them and the reward that would be given after they have been able to keep these works to the end. The works of salvation are the tools for our overcoming. These Churches are a perfect example of salvation: the works and reward of salvation.

Our Lord Jesus, in John’s account of the gospel began speaking of certain works that he was engaging at a point of His sojourn on the earth, which was committed/revealed to Him of his father; these works He referred to as everlasting life (John 3:35, John 14:10, John 5:17, 26).

Therefore, it is safe to say that everlasting life are the works of salvation, while eternal life is the reward of salvation. Q13: What is difference between everlasting life and eternal life? The word “life” is used severally in the scriptures to describe an expression of a being that is projected from the residue of knowledge and understanding in the soul. (Gen. 2:7; Job. 32:8; Jer. 10:14; Psalm 119:144). Thus, the quality of life which a man has is a direct function of the knowledge he possesses. It is thus, safe and accurate to say that the face value of the life of a man is as a result of the quality of knowledge in his soul. At different spheres of creation (heaven and earth), there are different qualities of life. For example, when God made Adam the first man, he had a quality of life called living soul (Gen. 2:7; 1 Cor. 15:45); after he fell, men inherited a perverted life called flesh (Gen. 6:3). Besides, angels in their strata have different qualities of angelic life. It is good, however, to know that the lives of both men and angels are only shadows of the originality of life which resides in God (Col. 2:16-17; Heb. 1:10-12).

The originality of life in God, as shown in scriptures is divided into two: everlasting life or divine nature (Jn. 3:16; Jn. 4:14; 2 Pet. 1:3-4) and Eternal Life (the core authority of God’s life--1 Jn. 5:20). The qualities of these lives are shown by the ability to stand the test of various spiritual climates and seasons (Dan. 2:21; 1 Thess. 5:12). This is because they are dispensed in the spiritual timing of the appearing, coming or manifestation of Jesus as the Son of God (not for rapture, but for the giving of life), or as the author of eternal salvation, to one who has learned and inherited Christ (1 John 3:8, Heb. 5:9). This is because everlasting and Eternal Life are stands in safety, in the seasons of the coming of Jesus Christ, the true Son of God.

The differences between everlasting and Eternal Life can be clearly understood by the differences in the coming of Jesus, the author. According to Isa. 40:10, Isa. 62:11 and Rev. 22:12, there are two manners of the comings for the giving of salvation. The first one is to give instructions for the works of God, while the latter, which is the highest is to give the reward (gift) for doing the works. As shown in scriptures, to do the works of God is to walk with God (Exo. 18:20; Eph. 2:10). To walk with God, everlasting strength or God’s everlasting arms is needed to wrestle, outlast and overcome Satan and other wicked spirits. Satan and his cohorts are enemies of the program/intention of God to give everlasting life to man. It is only a man who uses everlasting life to overcome them that Eternal Life (the gift, reward, or Glory of God) can be given to. Therefore, Eternal Life is the gift of knowing God (Jn. 17:3), given to an overcomer or one who has fulfilled the course of everlasting life.

How will I know when I have moved from the gospel of Christ to the everlasting gospel?

Movement in the spirit can be spelled out in two ways. The first one is seen by the degree of words being spoken over a company of people. A company that hears the gospel of Christ can be said to be under the dispensation of Christ as a whole. Moreover, a company hearing the everlasting gospel are under the dispensation of everlasting life.

However, even though a company has moved as a whole, individuals might still not have moved in the spirit to higher allocations, because of individual journey or growth. This is why scriptures will use words like “some among you.” (1 Cor. 15:12). It is for the same reason that Apostle Paul wrote things that pertain to both milk and everlasting life in the same letter to the same Church at Corinth. Therefore, when a company is said to have entered a higher allocation in their journey to God, God immediately begins to send words of that new allocation, because the brethren at the forefront of the company have ears to expressly hear the words being spoken (Rev. 2:17). This is the same pattern shown when Jesus sent or gave instructions to the Angels (shepherds) of the seven Churches in the book of revelation (Rev. 2-3).

The purpose of the gospels or good tidings of Christ and of God is to make us beings who bear fruits of the gospel (Rom. 6:22; Gal. 5:22). Therefore, every man who lives the doctrine communicated by the gospel of Christ will eventually express the fruits of Christ as spelled out in Galatians 5:22-23 (Matt. 7:16-20). The fruit of the Spirit here can be summarized as love expressed towards men who have learned Christ through the commandments of faith and hope, and they have arrived at Charity. Thus, the fruit of one who has inherited the life communicated by the gospel of Christ is the love of the brethren (1 Jn. 3:14). It is only a man who has loved the brethren by expressing the fruit of the Spirit, notwithstanding the contradictions, that can move to the dispensation of living the life of the everlasting gospel (1 Jn. 3:16). Q15: What are the indicators that will tell that one is due to move into hope allocation? Hope in the scriptures refers to desires, drives, aspirations or ambition. One’s hope is a direct function of the knowledge that one has (Eph. 1:17-18), and this knowledge is a product of the hearing of the word (Rom. 10:17). Besides, in every allocation of God’s word, there exists a season where one is tried and this is to prove our actual desire (Det. 8:2;16).

The season of hope is always characterized by trials which are commensurate to the word allocation which one has heard. It comes with a cycle of tests of patience and experiential wisdom which births forth a solidified hope in us (Rom. 5:3-5).

To stand firm in the season of hope, one needs to be rooted and grounded in the knowledge of Christ (Col. 3:16). This knowledge (word) produces the wisdom needed to be patient in the seasons of hope. Therefore, only a man who is rich in the knowledge of Christ for the allocation of faith is due to move to the hope allocation.

Now that we are hearing the faith of the Son, are we to stop using milk faith/faith for things?

The purpose of the journey of a believer is to receive God's promise (1 Pet. 1:9,17; Tit. 1:2). This journey is from faith to faith, and every faith is characterized by the hope which it substantiates. The milk faith prepares a believer for the next level of faith, which is the faith of the Son of God (Gal 2:20). The milk faith is God's provision for substantiating the carnal hopes of a believer (Mark 11:23). While at a level, the milk faith is used for asking and receiving from God, it is not limited to this. The milk faith also includes dealings and trainings which can culture the heart to be committed and totally reliant on God and His word for carnal needs.

Because the milk faith has its commandments, there are obediences to be carried out. Fulfilling this obedience prepares us to receive the allocation of the faith of the son. As described in Acts. 26:18 and Eph. 1:18, it takes one whose eyes of understanding have been enlightened to live by the faith of the Son. Thus, one who lives by the faith of the Son of God handles the natural and carnal hopes with an understanding of God’s dominion as against desires which are according to worldly lusts.

Thus, it is safe to say, we do not stop believing God for our carnal needs because we now live by the faith of the Son. Rather, our hope changes and we therefore obey God, not for our carnal needs, but for the hope of Christ. The faith of the Son teaches us to live here on earth without the lusts that are in the world. Thus, we do not “use” milk while living by the faith of the son of God, we seek the kingdom (dominion) of God and our carnal needs are added

What is the difference between spirit and soul?

It is good to know that scripturally, the spirit and the soul are divisible – separate entities. This can be clearly seen in Hebrews 4:12:

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”.

The Spirit

Man was created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). God is a Spirit (John 4:24), therefore, man is essentially a spirit. The spirit of man is that part of man that can fellowship with God, because it has an image that can relate with God. The spirit of man is the candle (lamp) of the Lord that God uses to search the inward parts of the man (Prov. 20:27). In scriptures, it is also referred to as the inner man (Eph. 3:16, 1 Pet. 3:4, 1Cor. 2:11). At New Birth, our spirit became a new man by believing in the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).

Fellowship with God is the food of the spirit man! The same way our physical body needs food to stay healthy and strong, that is the same way we need fellowship to wax strong in spirit (Luke 2:40). The spirit of man primarily has two organs, with which it carries out two main functions in a believer. These are Intuition and Communion.

- Intuition: This is the “sensory organ” of the human spirit. It is completely different from the physical sense or intellectual sense (through academic learning). Intuition involves a direct sensing in our spirit, independent of any outside influence or stimuli. In our spirit, we can intuitively have knowledge which comes to us without any help or information from the mind, emotion or volition. More specifically, we “know” the things of God through intuition; our mind merely helps us to "understand" them. All the movements (leadings and dealings) of the Holy Spirit are known to the believer through his intuition. A believer must therefore heed to the nudging of his intuition. There are times when you will just know that some things are bad and that you should not engage in such things or associate with people that do them, this is the work of intuition. - Communion: Communion is worshiping God or fellowshipping with God (Rom. 1:9, John 4:24). The other parts of man (soul and body) are incompetent in generating worship to God. They can hardly bring about pure and spotless worship to God or fellowship with God. As believers, God communicates with us directly in and through our spirit (Rom. 8:16), hence the first point and legal ground of fellowshipping with God is in our recreated human spirit. From the above, we can see that these two organs (intuition and communion) are deeply interrelated and function coordinately. The relationship between intuition and communion is that the more you commune with God, the more your intuition gets better. The Soul

The soul is the middleman that is connected to the spirit and body and it is meant to be in subjection to the authority of the human spirit for functioning. It is the part that enables man to think, reason and have a sense of moral judgement. The soul operates primarily by knowledge or learning. The soul is the seat of human personality; the things of a man (or the summation of a man’s life) are embedded in the soul. Whatever is formed in the soul becomes attributed to the man. In scriptures, it is also referred to as the inward man. When we got born again, the soul was bought but not yet saved. The soul is saved by hearing and obeying the gospel (James 1:21, 1Pet 1:23). The soul comprises two major parts – the heart and the mind.

- The heart: this is the part of man that believes (Rom. 10:10). It is the most spiritual part of the soul and it is the deepest part close to the regenerated human spirit. The heart is man’s house of treasure and out of the abundance of the heart, the man speaks (Luke 6:45, Mark 12:34, Matt. 12:34, Prov. 4:23). It is the seat of thoughts, imagination, strongholds, and worldly lust (2 Cor. 10:1-3; 1 Pet. 2:11). The heart is the seat of man’s will and conscience (sense of judgement). It is also referred to as the door of the soul (Rev. 3:20). - The mind: this is the upper chamber of the soul that is connected or closer to the body. It receives information from the body through the five senses. The mind is being renewed by the word of God. The mind is supposed to be subject to the spirit.

Unlike the spirit, things that happen in the soul are gradual. The soul participates in anything through knowledge. It is worthy of note that the mind of a man doesn’t know all things that are in the heart, but the spirit knows (Jer. 17:9, 1 Cor. 2:11)