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Let's dive right in.
So where we stop on Sunday, right?
Last Sunday, we were able to establish and to put to see what quench not the spirit means,
right?
We were able to go through to understand what the spirit is referring to, referring to the
activities of the spirit.
And we check that through the priesthood, how the priesthood use fire, because we explained
that the word quench is mostly used in relation to fire.
And we explained that the priesthood use fire as part of the services, right?
They use it in the place of service, right, when they are worshipping in the temple, right?
We see that they were the one using it, and it means that it's a responsibility for them
to put up the fire and to make it to continually burn in the temple.
And by the time we came into the New Testament, we realized that what was happening on the
day of Pentecost, when they saw the fire, were also referring to activities that the
believer would begin to engage in, right?
The believer began to engage in that activity, right, which is the things of the spirit was
released onto them, which is the power, right, was released onto them to begin to function
inside.
So we are empowered from above, which is from within, right?
From above, empowered from above means from within, because we know we are seated in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus, and from that position where Christ is in us, he comes forth, right,
the spirit brings forth expression of power.
We actually explain all this and say that a believer can actually keep the fire burning,
a believer can choose not to keep the fire burning, right, can choose to keep the fire
burning or you can choose not to be on fire.
And we said that a believer can choose to do the things of the spirit and the believer
can also choose not to do the things of the spirit.
And I just said that it starts with the mind, to know that the mind, there's no mindless
worship, okay, there is no mindless worship.
We need to say that regularly, right?
So worship is not mindless.
You can't just do it without your mind, right?
You carefully worship.
So our mind is engaged in worship, therefore, all the activities of the spirit comes to
us or we manifest them with our mind, right, with our mind involving it, right?
That is why when someone is not speaking in tongues, right, sometimes people, which is
an activity of the spirit, people always, the first question we always ask them is,
why are you not speaking in tongues?
So some people say that they are expecting something spooky to jump on them, right, out
of their own consciousness, away from their own will, so that they can begin to speak
in tongues.
And, you know, from there, we have to correct it that, you know, you can actually speak
in tongues, right?
It's something that engages your will, right?
Your will is part of the, the path through which you pray in the Holy Ghost, right?
There's no mindless worship, therefore, a believer can choose to be on fire, a believer
can choose not to be on fire by not practicing the things of the spirit, by not engaging
in the pains of the spirit.
And I think that is one of the things where some people call backsliding, right?
It's not like you're losing yourself.
And there's parts of that, some people refer to that as you're drawing back from practicing
the pains of the spirit.
Remember, believers are backsliders.
You are drawing back from the pains of the spirit.
It's not that, oh, you're losing your salvation or no, no, that's backsliding.
People use it loosely, right?
But it really refers to when the fire stops burning, right?
We are not seeing the zeal again.
We are not seeing the strength again, right?
It means you are losing some practices, right, that you should be doing, right?
You are losing some practices that you should be doing.
So backsliding basically refers to that.
We're going to check subsequently on that to pay attention to that concept of backsliding
as a believer, right?
So you can backslide by not practicing the things of the spirit, right?
It's not like when we call you, we'll now tell you that your salvation has been thrown
away.
That's not what it means, right?
You are still a believer, right?
But from our activities that we participate together as believers, you are drawing back.
That's actually the word, you know, to withdraw from something that you have been participating,
right?
So you can't withdraw from salvation because salvation is giving, okay?
You can't withdraw from salvation.
Salvation is granted to you when you have faith in God, right?
You have faith in God.
So you are reaching salvation, Ephesians chapter two, right?
But when it comes to backsliding, right, so pay attention to it.
It's about living certain practices that the believer, right, should be part of.
Okay, let me quickly run through Hebrews, Hebrews 10.25.
Maybe we should start with this one a little bit and just touch upon it, just using Hebrews
10.25.
Right.
This is not where I wanted to think about.
Since I started emphasizing it, we can go there first and we'll still come back.
So Hebrews 10.25.
Let's go from 22.
It says, let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith, right?
Since we have a full assurance of faith with our hearts sprinkled clean, right, from all
evil consciences, our body washed with pure water, right?
So this is what has happened to us.
We have been drawn near, we have our conscience cleaned, we have a full assurance of our faith.
Verse 23, it says, let us hold fast, right, the confession of our hope, right, to hold
firmly the confession of our hope without wavering for he who promised is faithful,
right, and let us consider, for he who promised is faithful.
Now, verse says, let us consider how to steer up one another, right, to love and good works.
Verse 23 says, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, right, but encouraging
one another, right, encouraging one another.
And all the more as you see the day drawing near, right, to actually withdraw from the
activities, right, of coming together as a believer.
You could say you are backsliding, right, if you are neglecting to meet together, refusing
to come together to believers gathering, you can say, oh, you're backsliding, right, you
are stopping the activities, you're neglecting the gathering of the prayer.
It doesn't mean you're not a believer because you've had faith in Christ, which is a gift,
but this one is your responsibility.
That is why the fire is the responsibility of the believer.
Being on fire is the responsibility of the believers.
I just put that through to explain to us that believers can actually draw back, right, from
the activities of the spirit, right, and consider how to stay on fire without drawing back,
right, how to stay on fire without drawing back.
So I also said that it is not the responsibility of the Holy Ghost, right, to keep us on fire.
It is our responsibility, just like the priest is the responsibility, to stay on fire, right.
We also say that when you experience fire in a very intense believers gathering, it's
talking, it's mainly because of the activities going on there, right, it's the activities
going on there that is the fire that, you know, we're talking about.
So today, what must we do, right, to stay on fire and not quench fire, right?
It is, it is unideal, right, it is not ideal for a believer, right, it is not ideal for
a believer to, how can I put it, to be met at the point in time and they say that, let's
pray in the Holy Ghost, and the believer is waiting to pray in the Holy Ghost or the believer
is not ever ready to pray in the Holy Ghost.
It is not ideal, right, this is not ideal.
So it's like some people always believe that they have to be prepared, like you want to,
you want to, you want to pray in the Holy Ghost now, you have to first of all prepare
for days, you have to lead prayers now, you have to go for seven days, you have to cast
out demons, you have to go for 15 days, then maybe you have to raise the dead, maybe like
30 days before you'll be prepared, right.
Which is not ideal for a believer, right, it's not ideal for a believer.
So when you want to do the things of the spirit, it's your natural, the believer.
So the activities of the spirit, what keeps the believer on fire is natural to the believer,
it's your place, it should be your place, and it's natural to you.
So when you want to pray in the Holy Ghost, you are not trying to bring something, right,
you are not trying to do something fresh, to activate it, then you now start praying
in the Holy Ghost, you're not trying to jump into praying in the Holy Ghost.
Somebody is having a very terrible day and a challenging day and the person meets you,
you don't need to say, okay, wait, let me go and I'm prepared to encourage you.
No, from there you give the word, you give the scripture, you give edification so that
the person is strengthened.
So what I'm trying to say is that the activities of the spirit is, it should be a normal to
the believer, that when you see someone who is sick, you can say, let me lay hands on
this person.
If you see someone who is worried, say, let me speak a word of prophecy to this person.
Right?
So no believer should wait and say, well, I need to go and prepare for us to come, right?
We prepare for someone, that is correct, because we want to prepare to know how to deliver
effectively in a way that you can comprehend, right, and explain it and to ever be able
to prove it very well, right, to show you evidence, abundance of evidence.
That's what I'm preparing for someone, right?
But it is always ready to give a word of wisdom of knowledge, you know, encouragement.
What I'm trying to say is that the things of the spirit is not a one moment thing, it's
not only when we come together, it's not only when you are fasted and prayed for seven days
that you can do them, right?
And I'm not saying those things are not good, right?
We will see them from the scripture from Acts 13.
What I'm trying to say is that you are ever ready, ever ready.
And this is what we call, you know, ever burning fire that is in the believer, ever burning
fire, right?
You are ever ready.
So this is what we call ever burning fire.
Now we'll just go through the scriptures and to know the things that we can really engage,
right, things that we can engage that will keep us burning, that will keep us burning,
right?
Things that we engage that will keep us burning.
So the first thing that we can write down, give us the scriptures and we'll explain it
is to maintain and grow in the revelation that you have received.
So the first thing to really continue in, to really continue in burning or to continue
to remain on fire for God is first to maintain and grow in the revelation that you have received,
right?
To maintain, you know, and grow in the revelation.
So we'll go to 1 Corinthians 15, 3 to 5.
1 Corinthians 15, 3 to 5.
It says, for I deliver to you as of first importance, primary importance, what I also
received that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures and that he
was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures and
that he appeared to suffer then to the 12th.
Then he appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive,
though some are falling asleep.
Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, last of all, as to one untimely
born, he appeared also to me.
Right?
So he said, that's which I deliver to you, that's which I also receive.
Right?
I also receive.
So Paul is saying that the way, right, the way I've understood Christ, the way I've
received this revelation, I have also delivered it onto you.
Right?
I have delivered it onto you according to the scriptures that he was buried.
Right?
Sorry, he died and he was buried and was raised to life on the third day.
And there are these others that bear evidences to these things that I present.
So Paul is saying that I'm not, I'm not changing anything in what I've received.
Right?
I'm presenting it to you just as I've received it.
And that all that's also can bear witness to this truth, that Christ died for our sins
according to scriptures, was buried and was raised on the third day.
Okay?
So let's check some more scriptures.
Let's check some more scriptures.
What happens to a believer when a believer or what happens to a person, let me say person
because the context we want to check is not really the context of a believer yet, but
what happens to a person when they receive the revelation and they don't continue in
it, they don't maintain it, they don't grow in the revelation, right?
They don't grow in the revelation.
We're going to see Peter's example in two cases, right?
We're going to see Peter's example in two cases and that would really help us to understand
the need to grow in the revelation of Christ.
So Matthew 16, 18 to 19, Matthew 16, 18 to 19, then Matthew 16, 21 to 23.
And we'll check an example in the book of Acts as well.
We'll check an example of the same Peter and at least that is after the resurrection.
Matthew 16, 18 to 19.
When I tell you you are Peter, I think we'll go from verse 13, right?
We'll go from verse 13.
It's the now when Jesus came to the district of Caesarea, Philippi, Matthew 16, he asked
his disciples, who do people say that the son of man is?
And they said, some say John the Baptist, right?
Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, Elijah, right?
And others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.
And he said to them, but who do you say I am?
And Simon Peter replied, you are the Christ, the son of the living God.
And Jesus answered, blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona, for flesh and blood has not revealed
this to you, but my father who is in heaven, and I tell you, you are Peter.
And on this rock, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it.
I'll give you the keys of kingdom of heaven and whatever you find on earth shall be bound
in heaven and whatever you lose on earth shall be lose in heaven.
Then he strictly tried the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go through, right?
That he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and the chief priests
and scribes and be killed.
And on the third day he raised and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him saying,
fire beeth from you, Lord, this shall never happen to you.
But he turned and said to Peter, get behind me, Satan, you are an hindrance to me, for
you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.
So within the same period, we see Peter giving the revelation of who Christ is, right?
Of who Christ is, which is the truth, right?
He is a Christ, the son of the living God, right?
He is the Christ, the son of the living God.
This is a revelation and Peter was correct with what he said, right?
But to grow in that revelation is to understand Christ, the kind of Christ, right?
What Christ must do, the details of the Christ, right?
What is that which pertains to this Christ, right?
And that was why Jesus began to explain to them as, okay, now that you now understand
that I'm the Christ, the son of the living God, right?
The manifestation of God himself, let's go deeper, okay?
Let's go deeper.
Now the thing is that I'm going to suffer many things, right?
I'm going to suffer many things from the elders, the chief priests.
I'm going to be killed, right?
I'm going to be killed, but on the third day I will be raised.
Now you will wonder how Peter missed the resurrection in Jesus' explanation.
So he got the first answer, right?
Now in this one he's rebuking the Lord saying, literally what Peter is saying, he's not saying
that you will not be killed, right?
Peter is actually, he's opposing, right, just in the word, the word Satan there, means to
oppose.
He's opposing the death and resurrection, right?
If Jesus has said, I'm going to die, right?
I'm going to suffer many things, right?
You could still take a reason with him and say, okay, well maybe he doesn't want Christ,
but he said, I will be killed and on the third day I will come back to life.
So what we can see there is that Peter was not paying attention to the revelation of
what Christ was giving, right?
So you know I'm the Christ, right?
But you need more details.
You need to grow in this knowledge.
So I present to you that I would die and I will rise again and you rebuke me.
Upon what you have said, I am building upon and giving more details.
Yet you are rebuking me, right?
So what we see here is that there is need to maintain and grow in the revelation of
Christ, right?
There is need to maintain and grow in the revelation of Christ.
And that is why Ephesians 1, 7, right, would just give us a quick, you know, Ephesians
1, 17, would say that the God, Paul, pray now, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom, right, and of revelation in the
knowledge of him, which is, we have said and explained that this is actually talking about
the wisdom that comes from the spirit, right?
It's talking to believers here, which simply means they have the spirit of God.
They have the spirit that produces the wisdom, right?
Well, here he's referring to the wisdom that comes from the spirits, right, right, and
of the revelation of Christ.
So Paul is desiring that these Ephesians, they will grow in the knowledge of Christ.
They will grow in the wisdom of Christ.
So a believer needs to grow in the wisdom of Christ.
A believer needs to maintain what you have received.
And a believer needs to grow in the wisdom of Christ for you to stay on fire, right?
For you to stay on fire, you need to continue in the revelation of Christ.
You need to grow in it.
So what Peter was doing was simply not growing, was simply not paying attention to what Christ
was saying, because he proclaimed the death and resurrection of this Messiah, of the Son
of God, right?
So growth is important, maintaining and growing is important.
All right, so let's go to another scripture, Acts, let's go to Acts and see another example
from Peter, another example from Peter.
The moment you begin to draw back in the revelation of Christ, you begin to doubt it, you begin
to doubt the activities of the spirit, you will not be able to function well, because
you are not maintaining.
So let's go to Acts 10, Acts 10, 27 to 29, Acts 10, 27 to 29.
We don't have much time to read the whole of Acts chapter 10, but we'll read from verse
27 towards 33, but you can read the whole of chapter 10.
He said, And he talked with them, and he went in and found many persons gathered.
And he said to them, You yourself know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with
or visit anyone of another nation.
But God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.
So when I was sent for, I came without objection.
I asked then, why you sent for me?
And Cornelius said, For four days about this hour I was praying in my house at the night
hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, and said, Colonials, your
prayers have been heard, and your arms have been remembered before God.
Send therefore a joker, send therefore to Joppa, and ask for Simon, who is called Peter, he
is lodging in the house of Simon, eternal by the sea.
So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come now.
Therefore, we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded
by the Lord.
So Peter is saying that I had a vision, and the Lord said I should not call what is common
what what he has cleansed right unclean, but you know, what he has cleaned what he has
called clean, I should not call it unclean.
Now if you read Acts chapter two, verse 39, you can add that scripture to Acts chapter
two, verse 39, he said, for the promise, right after the event of the day of Pentecost, he
said, for the promise is for you, and for your children, and for all who are far off,
everyone whom the Lord God calls to himself.
And with many order, he bore witnesses and continue to exhort them saying save yourselves
from the crooked generation.
So those who received the word were baptized, and they were added that day, about 3000 souls,
3000 souls.
So we see that Peter, right, standing with the 11 right, you can read that in verse 14.
He said that the promise is for you, your children, for everyone who the Lord God calls
to himself, right, everyone who the Lord calls to himself, which means everyone who the Lord
permits to come, which is everyone that believes.
Now after seeing that Peter had an understanding that everyone should be saved, right, everyone
should be saved, everyone should get his gospel, irrespective of the nation we are from, Acts
chapter 10.
Let's look at Acts chapter 11.
Acts chapter 11, verse one.
He said, now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea, right, heard that
the Gentiles also had received the word of God.
And when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, you went to
circumcise men and it's with them.
And Peter began and explained it to them in order.
Again the story then again and again and again.
Now if you move to verse 17, if you move to verse 17, right, he said, if God gave the
same gifts to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus, who was I that
I should stand or I could stand in God's way?
When they heard these things, they fell silent and they glorified God saying, then to the
Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.
Now in this explanation, you will not know Paul's disposition.
You will not know Paul's disposition.
Where you disposition, I mean, is standpoints, right?
So he kind of tried to excuse himself, right, from the fact that God has also put everybody
to be saved, right?
But I've said, you know, God has got everybody to be saved, right, but he stand accused.
You see that in Galatians, Galatians 2.11, right?
Galatians 2.11.
Let's go to Galatians 2.11.
Galatians 2.11 said, but when Seppas, which is Peter, came to Antioch, right?
So when he came to Antioch, I oppose him, right, Paul opposing Peter, I oppose him to
his face because he stood condemned, right, for before certain men came from James, he
was eating with the Gentiles, but when they came, he drew back and separated himself fearing
the circumcision party, right?
And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him so that even Barnabas was led
astray by his hypocrisy.
But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, did
you see that?
So when I saw that their conduct is not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said
to Seppas, which is Peter, before them all, if you do a Jew live like a Gentile and not
like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like the Jews?
Now, Paul was saying that Peter stood condemned, right?
Peter in his conduct really had to draw back because of the circumcision party, right?
He had to draw back because of the circumcision party because the law of the Jews, which is
they shouldn't interact, had not been broken in their minds, right, despite the revelation
he had received and the knowledge he had.
So what we can say there is that a believer, right, must intentionally grow in the revelation
and maintain it and be ready to give a defense, right, for the truth of the gospel in the
conduct.
So it's possible for you to shrink at some point in time because you are still doubting,
maybe you are not well grounded in the revelation that you have received, right?
It's possible for you to shrink.
For example, you might be speaking in tongues in the NECF and you get into a place and you
feel criticized for speaking in tongues, right?
Someone knows that you are speaking in tongues, the person is accusing and saying, why are
you speaking in tongues?
Don't you know that thing has ended?
Don't you know that thing does not exist?
Sometimes you might want to shrink, right?
You might want to shrink.
That is not maintaining the things of the spirit.
That is not maintaining the activities of the spirit.
That is trying to quench it because you stand accused, right?
Therefore, you need to grow in the knowledge, right?
So you should know more about the scriptures that explains things about praying in the
Holy Ghost, right?
So what we see in the case of Peter is that he stood condemned, he avoided, and he did
not conduct himself in a way he should have conducted himself, right, despite the revelation
because people approached him, right?
And these people criticized him.
So for believers, we shouldn't be in such a shoes.
We should be prepared ahead of time by doing so.
Grown to help us to avoid, of course, Peter across the out of apostles, the groups in
the church, right up until that's 10, 11.
And subsequently, we see that the attitude and the conduct of Peter and the other postures
really changed, right?
Their practices and their conduct really transformed as they grew in the revelation of Christ,
right?
But at this point in time, they were still stopped, right, in many things around the
Jewish law and the practices and could not defend the gospel.
So what we can see is for us to stay on fire, to stay on that burning we need, right, to
continually maintain and grow in the knowledge of Christ so that when we are confronted,
we are ready to give a defense of the scripture.
Otherwise, someone can tell you, you know, you can't pray in tongues.
Someone can tell you, you can't prophesy.
Someone can, someone can, someone can despise prophecy and it will affect you, right?
So if you don't grow and maintain the revelation that you have received, someone would despise
prophecy and you will stop prophesying because the person despises it.
Someone would despise speaking in tongues and because the person despises it, you will
stop speaking because you are not maintaining, you are not growing.
So you should take time out, right, to study the word, right, to know the truth, right,
as we have delivered onto you and to know those scriptures and have the full assurance
in your heart pertaining the activities of the Spirit of God, right, pertaining the things
relating to the Spirit.
Now still on these, 1 Timothy 4, 14, 2 Timothy 1, 16, right, we will see that Timothy was
being encouraged in that.
Timothy was really, really being encouraged in that.
1 Timothy 4, 14 says, keep close, keep a close watch on yourself and the teaching, persist
in this for by doing so, you will save both your hearers, both yourself and your hearers.
Now if you go back to Galatians 2, you will see that Paul could not really save, Peter
could not really save, I mean, himself and his hearers because, you know, the church
was still growing at that time in this revelation and understanding that this message is for
everybody.
So 2 Galatians 2, 13, Galatians 2, 13, and the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically
with who?
With Peter, right, did you see that?
He said, but when they came, he drew back, he drew back, he slithered away from relating
with Gentiles and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party, right, this so-called
circumcision party.
And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along Peter in this context.
But when I saw that their conduct was not in the step of, in step with the truth of
the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, you know, then he rebuked Peter.
We can see that from such a scenario is what's advice and is what's counseling is what's
instructing rather instructing, that's the word, not advice, is what instructing Timothy
to say that keep your watch on yourself and the teaching.
Persist in this.
So a believer must persist in this.
Right?
You must labor in the word for by doing so, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
So those who see your conducts, right?
Those who see you're speaking in tongues, those who see your prophecy, right?
Those who benefit from it, those who are edified by it in the church.
Right?
So the conduct, the teaching, the practices, right?
They in a way encourage others, then encouragement onto others.
We must maintain it.
We must persist in this teaching.
So I want to multi one versus.
So I'm going to want to see.
So for this reason, I remind you to find into flame the gift of God, which is in you through
the lane of my hands.
For God gave us a spirit, not of fear, but of power of love and self control.
Right?
So he said, I remind you.
I put this right to remember that you should run into flame.
Right.
So it's a responsibility of the believer to find into flame.
Right.
These gifts that is given to the believer to stay in, in terms with the fire, to be
born in true learning from the scriptures.
So what we see is that if we don't continue to maintain the revelation that we have received
and if we don't grow in it, we don't maintain it means as it has been delivered to you,
we don't try to add anything, but I don't try to make it sound nice.
Don't try to package it in any way, just the way it has been taught.
Right.
You can teach it.
All we're teaching is what has been taught by some people and as they pass on to some
people and as they pattern and has been passed on to us and confirmed, verified by the scriptures
and we see that.
Right.
So you continue in such a revelation.
It preserves you.
Right.
It preserves you.
It keeps you on fire.
It saves you from James Sears saves you from in sears.
Hallelujah.
So this is what we see in the first aspect that maintaining and growing in the revelation
of Christ, right.
We'll keep on fire, right.
It encourages you to practice things all the more, right.
To practice the activities of the spirit all the more.
You don't doubt it, right.
You don't doubt it.
There was a time actually, right.
When I first heard about the teaching of praying in tongues and all of that, right.
For many years I had this teaching, right.
And this teaching was just there laying in my head and I never prayed the holy book,
right.
I never prayed the holy book.
I've heard it.
I never prayed the holy book.
But the more I continued, continued, continued to study, to study, to maintain, the more
I grew in faith towards that.
And I began to pray in the holy books, right.
I began to pray in the holy books.
So this is showing that for us to practice we must continue in revelation.
The same thing with prophets, the same thing with other activities of the spirit.
Now the other one is the next thing we're just going to talk about briefly, right.
Briefly is actually rejoicing and praying, right.
We can just put it to rejoice and I'm praying.
Jude 17 and 20, 1st Thessalonians 5, 16 and 18.
Rejoicing and praying.
Rejoicing and praying, right.
I really put them together intentionally rejoicing and praying because this helps the believer
to be on fire.
Now what rejoicing and praying does is it shifts you away from grumbling.
It shifts you away from murmuring, right.
It shifts you away from signs of unbelief, right.
Signs of unbelief.
It shifts you away from grumbling to every sign of unbelief, right.
So, read Jude 17, the popular scripture that we know of, right.
Very popular scripture.
It just says, Jude 17 says, but you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of
our Lord Jesus Christ, right.
I'm not really in the right place.
Yes, I'm in the right place.
So they said to you, in the last time they will be scoffers following their own ungodly
passion.
It is this who caused the visions, worldly people, devoid of the spirit, right.
But you, beloved, building yourself up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy
Ghost, right.
Praying in the Holy Ghost.
Building yourself up.
So building yourself up to stay on fire, you need to pray in the Holy Spirit, right.
You need to pray in the Holy Ghost and you need to rejoice always.
You need to rejoice always because it saves you away from unbelief, right.
It saves you away from doubting the pains of the spirit.
It saves you away from, these are actually activities on the spirit.
So it's more like saying that practice, right.
It's more like saying just practice, practice it, right.
Practice rejoice and let it be all the time you are rejoicing in the Holy Ghost.
You are rejoicing not because things, you know, in the natural, right, in the flesh,
right, are really okay, right.
That has nothing to do with your level of rejoicing, right.
I've thought on Ephesians before, sorry, from Philippians on rejoicing, on joy, right, despite
the challenges that Paul was facing.
He was rejoicing everywhere and telling the people to rejoice for him and to rejoice with
him despite being in prison.
So we rejoice in the Holy Ghost.
We rejoice in it.
And he said rejoicing in the Holy Ghost and we are holding a meeting in church.
It's not, it's not like you don't need to wait for things to be okay.
Like you don't need to wait for the things in the natural to be fine.
It's not about the things in the natural.
It's about your identity.
It's about your position.
It's about who you are in Christ.
It's about what you can do in Christ.
It's about the spirit that is in you.
That is where rejoicing comes from.
The spirit within comes out and you rejoice in the Holy Ghost.
So we can rejoice in the Holy Ghost because this is part of the activities of the spirit
as we see in 1 Thessalonians 5, 17, right.
We just see that in 1 Thessalonians 5, it says rejoice always.
Rejoice always.
Right.
And we see that following in say pray without season.
So these are things that would help us, right, to stay on fire.
To stay on fire, not grumbling, not complaining, not mumbling, not raising doubts.
Because when you don't rejoice and you don't pray the Holy Ghost, doubts automatically
set in.
Right.
So these are antidotes to doubts.
These are antidotes to, you know, things that can derail you from practicing the things
of the spirit.
The next one we can say not neglecting the guardian of the brethren, right.
Hebrews 10, 25, Jennifer 25, right.
Not neglecting the guardian of the brethren.
So not neglecting the guardian.
It helps you to stay on fire.
So you can add Matthew 18, 20 to it.
Matthew 18, 20.
Not neglecting.
Now Christian meeting is actually God ordained.
I think we should say that.
That's yeah, I heard that somewhere and I think we can say that Christian meetings is
God ordained.
Okay.
Christian meeting is God ordained.
It is not about whether you feel good about it or you don't feel good about it.
It is not about, it's not about how you feel.
It's not about how your day was that determines whether you come to Christian guardian.
It is a must to come to believers meeting, like to come to Christian guardian, whether
it's believers meeting, whether it's the ministers that are ministering, right.
Whether it's a prayer meeting.
It is a must.
And let me also say that you cannot, you don't judge Christian guardian.
A believers guardian where the word is taught and prayer is prayed.
You don't judge it by your feelings.
Some people come to judge.
I think also Victor had said this several times.
That you don't judge the Sunday service by how you feel, right.
You feel, oh, today's service, you know, it was cool, right.
And another day you don't feel it.
So you're talking about the entire service, right.
It was just the, no, because it is service unto God, right.
It is service unto God.
So priests will say, ah, today's, today's smoke did not go well, it did not smell.
Priests don't do that.
It's an offering unto God, right.
And there's a service unto God.
So when it comes to believers meeting, right, we don't neglect it.
We are always around.
We don't say, oh, because I don't feel like coming.
You don't go to believers meeting with your mood or for your mood.
No, no, no.
It's an instruction to not neglect.
It's an instruction.
So it means it's not an advice.
And it says that it is the habit of some people, right.
It is the habit of some people, right.
It's an instruction.
So believers meeting is one of the areas where you can be on fire, right.
When you start neglecting it, then definitely you would lose your strength.
You will lose your zeal.
You will lose everything that you think you have been, you know, moving towards.
Now, one of the challenges is that we always think these things are routine.
But surely what keeps a believer's life, I think we should write it, is the routine,
is the continuity in what we do, right.
The repetition is what keeps a believer continuing to be on fire, right.
So you keep putting oil in the lamp, the light keeps burning.
Keep putting oil in the lamp.
So the repetition of your activities, not neglecting the guardian of the believer, maintaining
and growing in the revelation of Christ, praying in the Holy Ghost and rejoice.
It is that consistency that keeps us going.
Okay.
It is the consistency that keeps us going.
What have we been doing a long time?
We morning devotion, you study your word in the morning, you go out, you come in the evening,
you listen to message, you pray.
It is that thing.
Don't make, don't be bored.
Don't ever be bored.
Don't be bored.
They give you many messages to listen.
Never be bored of these activities.
Like when you are getting bored, that is when it is entering you.
Then you press more into it.
Okay.
When you are feeling like, oh, it's like we are doing too much.
We are getting stressed.
That is when it is entering.
That is when you should put more effort into, oh, I'm getting tired.
Suss yourself to do it.
So it is the consistency, the routine activity, right.
That makes you stay on fire.
Now you don't complain about registering your semester in the semester.
You don't complain about going to school every day.
You don't complain about many activities.
You don't complain about eating every day.
You don't complain about many other activities.
So you shouldn't complain about the activities that keeps you going.
Studying, playing, rejoicing, not neglecting.
You have to push yourself to do them.
So the point line is that believers, you know, we continue in the routine.
We grow through this routine, right.
We grow through this.
There are many times we have, we have length, you know, many things, there are many teachings
we were in and consistently staying in the place of the world, we are delivered from,
you know, wrong teachings, right.
Consistently staying in the place of the world, having that attitude for years, delivered
us from many teachings, right.
So if you don't constantly stay, you cannot go in the world.
So routine is normal for a believer, right.
It's a lifetime routine, it's a continuous routine.
You don't get tired of it.
There's no way to spice it up than to continue to do it, right.
That's it.
You just continue to do it.
Now the last one I'll just talk about is the, is not despising prophecy.
And I just intentionally put that as the last, right.
Not despising, not despising prophecy.
I will go to 1 Thessalonians 5, which is the case with this other ones.
I put them as just preamble.
So let's go to 1 Thessalonians 5.
And that is where he says, do not despise prophecy, but test everything, hold fast what
is good, right.
Because that is the context of where we expanded and brought it back to that point, right.
So do not despise prophecy.
So we said that it means not to take prophecies, to despise means to take, not to take something
serious, to mock something, to make fun of something, right.
To mock something, to make fun of something.
Why should a believer not despise prophecy?
Now when you receive a word of a word of prophecy, maybe there's a believers meeting and you
receive a word of prophecy, right.
All you should do is to rejoice.
Why should you not despise it, right.
When you despise prophecy, right, when you despise prophecy, what you are doing, hmm,
when you despise prophets, what you are doing is you are depriving yourself of being edified.
So when you despise prophecy, you deprive yourself of being edified.
That is the first thing you should know.
When you take prophecy as for fun and you don't take it serious, you deprive yourself
of being edified.
you are not edifying prophecy
is for your edification right.
It is for your edification
therefore you don't despise it
right when the word of god
comes to you. So you know you
say oh you are you are
analyzing it in your head
right you analyze for example
maybe uh someone give you a
word you just came back from
seven days of fasting you have
thoughts all through the
meetings you have been all
night prayers you have been
praying you have been you have
been on fire and someone comes
to you and say I feel within my
spirit that's uh the lord wants
you to really go deep in the
world right really go deep in
the world and go in the world
and the moment that person says
that your response is do you
know what I've been doing for
the past seven days or maybe
you could you didn't say it out
but you feel within you and
say me that I've been on fire
for seven days you know I've
been on fire you know rather
than paying attention right
you are not taking that word
very seriously right but you
are using oh since I've been on
fire for seven days what is
this person saying but this guy
is not solid you know he's so
it's not solid or getting you
are despising prophecy you are
depriving yourself of being
identified by what that that
minister is saying right so when
you are in the world you are
rejoicing right oh you say oh
you are you are you are you are
you have been you have been
studying you have been praying
for seven days or he's telling
you good you mean that there is
a there is more in the
revelation of Christ that will
be given on to you so you
rejoice and say yes I go to
the world I increase in the
world that was what happened to
Peter I think that would have
said he could have just
received the words of Christ
and not rebuke Christ. So what
is this person saying it is for
your edification right it is
your edification so let's let's
put something again it says
that. The next verse right the
next verse from verse verse
twenty-one except for testing
everything all fast what is
good right testing everything
but over the word test there
is no right to test something
means is not is not we are not
trying to say to check us like
saying people actually
interpret these as to mean
that. As to mean that. We are
actually when the when the
prophecy is given they do not
check. Is this professing good
or evil right then when I test
it then I'll know whether to
test it or not. The way he's
evil right because it's it's
in everything. Old fast what is
good and abstain from every
form of evil right abstain from
every form of evil now. It was
it because it's at is it
follows up immediately after
do not despise proper sign you
now say tests. Everything right
test everything old fast what
is good and I'm so so it means
that when you check it you
know it's not the way I really
don't know which way you're
using but when you not
discovered at one province you
know you remove that prophecy
and you take part of it now
that's not what he's saying
that's not it's not saying this
is the same word that is used
to prove which means to put
something into practice to
present that something is good
right test everything it means
to practice everything put
something into practice to
prove that isn't it's already
right now we see this in
Romans twelve verse two that
you may be able to prove that
which is acceptable to God
right. Romans just let me drive
Romans twelve verse two.
Romans twelve verse two. Do
not be converted to the world
but transformed by the renewing
of your mind that's by testing
the things that are not
acceptable good and so this one
also use the word testing but
it's actually the word truth
right to present right to
manifest right and to show that
in this thing is good right so
when we practice them just as
quickly to connect to the things
of the spirit when practice the
things of the spirits right we
are not trying are you trying
to test tongues whether it's
correct or wrong I'm trying to
test prophets you're not testing
from are you trying to test
whether it's correct whether
it's wrong whether it's
wrong. So, I'm just speaking in
tongues because he's a
presentation that this is good
it is acceptable this is the
good thing right so what he's
saying here is not saying to
check provinces and to examine
and this is them and analyze
provisional is input them to
practice put them to action
right by doing that you will
present the good that is in
them and he said abstain from
every appearance of evil right
verse fifteen you will see the
appearance of evil in verse
fifteen is not saying that in
prophecies evil prophecy is not
evil there's no evil in that
prophecy right there's no evil
in that prophecy please read
verse fifteen see that no one
repays anyone evil for evil is
that a prophecy no but always
seek to do good right to one
thing evil is talking about is
not talking about somebody gave
you of us know that's not that's
that's not it we know that
prophecy is the revelation of
Christ right the testimony of
Christ right we see that the
testimony of Christ is the
spirit of prophecy right so
what is being ministered to is
the spirit of Christ right when
we minister to each other in
prophecy is the spirit of Christ
will minister to each other
right in prophecy is actually
the person who is found in the
spirit of Christ so when we
talk about prophecy is talking
about ministry by the things of
the spirit to you and if the
person is not ministering the
things of the spirit to you
then that is something else we
cannot call even call it
prophecy whatever the person
would like to call it can call
it but when the person is
ministering the spirit of Christ
to you that is prophecy so
there is no evil in the
ministration of the things of
the spirit of Christ there's no
evil in the ministry of Christ
right. So, I'm saying abstain
from every evil meaning evil
prophecy maybe someone say I
see you. You I see accidents. I
said no no no no that's not
what they're talking about you
say oh don't take that one that
is evil and take the one that
says I see you making millions
I see you you know winning
elections kind of a thing I see
you kind of. You know passing
your exams and that's a good
one you take that one and when
you take that one you take the
one that says I see you. You
see that's a conclusion of what
he has been saying from verse
twelve right a conclusion of
what he has been saying from
verse twelve to verse twenty
two actually that is that last
verse twenty right so sorry
this twenty one is a summary of
it but practice everything
right old fast to this that is
good all those that you are
talking about don't be evil to
the cost above don't pay evil
to each other right he's
already revealing what's evil
is it but always seek to do
good you already talked about
good and evil above so when it
comes down to that part where
he's concluding this context
it's not talking about you know
trying to you know pieces
prophecy. Cherry pick things
from prophecy and so you know
that's not what they're saying
right but the same we should
be saying right in the body of
Christ you receive it with
rejoicing okay you receive it
with rejoicing because the
president's mainstream the
spirit of Christ so you thank
god you are growing and you are
maintaining the spirit of
Christ are maintaining the
knowledge so you know the
spirit of Christ right you
receive it with rejoicing. You
don't you don't you don't
participate and this is
another thing you don't
participate online in bad
communication. You don't
participate online. Let me use
that scripture that they said
is the scripture that we read
right where we probably have to
take us to where we investigate
it from that is not from you
know any the extra biblical
material that says bad for bad
communication corrupt manners
let me also use and borrow
knowledge from that place that
when you join in part mountain
the things of the spirits right
when you join in same prophecy
you know in the spirit what
you are doing is that you will
not be able to conduct yourself
you will misconduct yourself in
the body of Christ right so
when you are we are prophesied
to you rejoice you receive it
with rejoicing you also
prophesied you put it into
practice right you put it into
practice is not by your
feeling you don't judge
prophecy by your feeling you
don't judge prophecy by you
know how begin to analyze it in
your head no. You just rejoice
and you are not justified I'm
strengthened or you might not
be feeling tired you say oh I'm
not feeling tired but this
person saying I need strength
I'm strong you can you can
know you are depriving yourself
of the strength that is coming
you say oh I'm not confused
so I'm coming you better
receive it with thanksgiving
because it is a prophecy it's a
word the time we'll spend more
time and talk about prophecy
much more but the the emphasis
is on the prophecy there is no
evil you receive it with
rejoicing and you jump up
because you know what's
prophecy is now. Praise god so
I just pray that we'll continue
to stay on fire for god will
continue to maintain the
routine that a believer needs
right we know the routine and
we have to continue there so
you don't be bored don't
discard yourself from the
routine right when it becomes
everything continue in it so I
don't want there was a time we
used to say oh I don't want to
be bored I don't want to be
busy you are missing of your
devotion it's true right it's
true you are causing for
yourself let it continue let
it continue it should become a
routine right it will become a
routine sometimes you say I'm
not feeling it don't it's not
about your keep doing it you
don't have to feel it just keep
doing it right keep doing it
keep at it keep at it that is
how we grow and we stay on fire
until the end of this week your
best wishes you've been
here today we hope you carry
this war with you throughout
your week don't forget to
check the show notes for
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