Welcome to NECF Sermons. Each message here is
designed to uplift and strengthen you in your
walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until
the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive
right in. Hallelujah. Amen. Amen. Hallelujah.
Now, what just happened today is actually what
I'm going to speak about. And what we do in church
is that we teach and we practice. Hallelujah.
Or we practice and then we teach. Amen? And Jesus
began to do and what? And he taught. Or he teach,
he did it and then he practiced. And when we
come to church, What happens in church is that
we are brought into the reality of the things
that we have. When you're born again, what happens
is that you have access. Hallelujah. You have
access to all the things that are in the spirit
as a believer. So whatever thing you see manifested
today is for the believer. Amen? Matthew 16,
verse 19. Matthew 16, verse 19. And I will give
you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And what
I'll be sharing with us is what we practice,
as I said, and is the access, the access to the
kingdom of God. Hallelujah. And I will give you
the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatever
you bind on earth will be bound in heaven. And
whatever you lose on earth will be loose in heaven.
And contextually, we know that this is Jesus'
conversation with Peter. The other disciples
were there and then Peter made a confession about
Jesus. Especially, In the context of what he
is. And what he was here on earth to do. And
then we see Jesus making a profound statement.
He says, I will give you the keys of the kingdom.
Keys of the kingdom. Now Jesus makes a promise
to give the keys of the kingdom. And we've noted
several times that the word keys here. It's metaphor.
It's a metaphor used to explain access. Access
into the kingdom. Now we mentioned several times
that the word keys is a word class. K -L -E -I
-S in the Greek. K -L -E -I -S. This is the word
that was translated. The word keys was translated
from in the Greek. And then it metaphorically
referred to as power. That is the power to the
kingdom or authority or access. Access simply
means, of course, authority. Because if you have
the keys to this house or to this hall, you have
the authority over whatever happens in this hall.
You can open the door for people to come in and
you can shut the door from people coming in.
So you have authority. It means that you have
power. And Jesus says, and I will give you the
keys. And I will give you the keys. He will give
the keys because only Jesus can give the access.
Jesus says that I am the way, right? I am the
truth and I am the life. Jesus grants the access
to the kingdom. And all the things we see manifested
here today are actually the kingdom manifested.
That hence are laid upon the sick. And they receive
their healings. The prophetic words are received
and declared unto men. We receive direction by
the Spirit. All this is actually the kingdom
in manifestation. So what do the keys mean? It
means access, as we've said. It enables, it will
enable Peter in this context to open and to close,
to bind and to loose. Now this key or keys is
not referring to anything material. First of
all, we have to establish this, that the keys
is not referring to anything physical, anything
material. It is not a physical key because some
people, you know, they go to church to collect
keys from their pastors and that key should give
them every open door in their lives. That's not
the key we are talking about here. Hallelujah.
And it's not many keys, because in the English
word we see keys, but actually it's in the singular
form in the Greek. So these keys is not something
material. It's not a mantle that you have, you
know, to have access before you have access to
this dimension of the Spirit of God. There must
be a mantle that you will receive. No. It's not
a handkerchief that you will receive. It's not
oil that you will receive upon your head before
you have access. No. It's nothing material. It's
nothing material, but something immaterial. And
we've been saying that this key or this access
or this power of this authority is actually the
Spirit of God. Okay? So the statement Jesus made
to Peter was a promise of the Spirit. How do
we come to this conclusion that it is a promise
of the Spirit? John 14, verse 15. We see Jesus,
when He was with them, He made a promise. John
14, verse 15 to 21 says, If you love me, you
keep my commandment. And I will pray the Father,
and He will give you another helper. Now, we
know that this another helper simply means of
the same kind, right? Helper. That He will what?
Will abide with you forever. The spirit of truth
whom the world cannot receive. Now, this access
is not for the world. It's for men that believe.
You see, obeying the commandment we've, Pastor,
taught us about, you know, obedience, obeying
God, is actually believing in God. Hallelujah.
So the spirit of truth whom the world cannot
receive because it neither sees him nor knows
him, but you know him. For he dwells with you
and will be in you. So Jesus was speaking and
referring to himself being with them and making
a promise that he will be in them. I will not
leave you comfortless as orphans. I will come
to you. A little while longer, the world will
see me no more, but you will see me. Because
I live, you will live also. And that day you
will know that I am in my Father, and you in
me, and I in you. Verse 21. He who has my commandments
and keeps them. What is the commandment? Believe
in him. That is the commandment. It is he who
loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by
my Father. And I will love him and manifest myself
to him. Jump to verse 25 and 26. 25 and 26. These
things I have spoken to you while being present
with you. But the helper, who is the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send on the account of all
that I will do in my name, he will teach you
all things. Now, teaching you all things has
a context. Amen? teaching you all things is contextual
to all that he has taught them already, and bring
to your remembrance, this is what he's teaching
you, he will bring to your remembrance all the
things that I have said to you. So the goal of
the Spirit of God that will be given to them
is not to predict whether Arsenal will win the
Premier League this season. Hallelujah. Amen.
is to bring to their remembrance all that he
has said to them. Amen. He will bring to their
remembrance all the things that he has taught
them. Now the spirit of God is not for anything
outside the work that God is doing in the life
of men. Hallelujah. John chapter 16. Verse 5.
Let's see what the promise is. John chapter 16.
Verse 5. But now I go away to him who sends me,
and none of you ask me where you are going. But
because I have said these things to you, sorrow
has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you
the truth, it is to your advantage that I go.
So the condition for the giving of the Spirit
is that he has to go. For if I do not go away,
the helper will not come to you. But if I depart,
I will send him to you. And when he has come,
look at what he will do. He will convict the
world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment.
Of sin because they do not believe in me. Of
righteousness because I go to my father and you
see me no more. of judgment because the ruler
of this world is judged. I still have many things
to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
However, when he, the spirit of truth has come,
he will guide you into all truths, for he will
not speak of his own authority, But whatever
he hears, he will speak and he will tell you
things to come. What are the things to come?
Amen. What are the things to come? The things
to come is not about whether that candidate of
yours will win the election. The things to come
are contextual to what God is doing. Hallelujah.
He will glorify me. This is what the things to
come will do. He will glorify me, for he will
take of what is mine, okay, and do what? And
he will declare it to you. All things that the
Father has are mine. Therefore, I say that he
will take of mine and do what? And declare it
to you. Hallelujah. So we see that the promise
that God The promise of that peace or the access
into that kingdom of God is actually the Spirit.
And this will be in the resurrection of Jesus
Christ. This will be when Jesus has died and
then we sang about him being raised again from
the death. Hallelujah. And then him going to
the Father and then giving us the access to the
Spirit, which is the key, the access. The Spirit
is given when Jesus is glorified. John chapter
7, verse 37. When he is glorified, glorification
simply means that he is exalted after his resurrection.
John 7, verse 37, verse 39 says, On the last
day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood
and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let
him come to me and drink. He who believes in
me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart
will flow rivers of living water. But this is
for concerning the spirit whom those believing
in him will receive. For the Holy Spirit has
not yet given because Jesus has not yet glorified.
Hallelujah. So his glorification will give access
to the kingdom, the spirit of God. Hallelujah.
So at the resurrection, we see Jesus giving his
spirit. Now everything that we possessed, right?
Everything that we ever possessed in Christ is
as a result of his resurrection. It is in the
spirit. It is spiritual. It is by the spirit
and in the spirit. Alright? Everything that we
receive is of the spirit, by the spirit. In fact,
to be born again is by the Spirit. It's a work
of the Spirit. It's not your will that makes
you who you are. But the Spirit of God working
to produce in you the new man that God desires
to see. So the summary of everything that Jesus
gave at the resurrection, we can term it as the
Spirit. Everything. The spiritual. Nothing else.
We have access to all the resources in the Holy
Ghost. Hallelujah. Say, I have access. Say to
yourself, I have access to all the resources
in the Spirit. Jesus said that all that are mine,
the Spirit will take and declare unto you. Hallelujah.
So we have all that is in the Holy Ghost. Now
the indwelling of the Spirit gives us access,
as we've said, To the kingdom. The access is
actually the kingdom. John chapter 3 verse 1.
John chapter 3 verse 1. To verse 8. There was
a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler
of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night
and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are
a teacher. Come from God. For no one can do these
signs that you do unless God is with him. So
he means that Nicodemus saw Jesus manifesting
the kingdom. Nicodemus asked him, How can a man
be born when he is old? Can he enter a second
time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus
answered, which is the spirit, he cannot enter
the kingdom of God. That which is born of the
flesh is flesh, and that which is born of spirit,
spirit. Do not marvel that I say to you, you
must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes,
but you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell
where it comes. from and where it goes. So is
everyone who is born of the Spirit. It simply
means that it's not something that is carnally
or fiscally designed. You cannot see it happen,
but it happens by the Spirit of God. So when
you become born again, it's the work of the Spirit.
There's a regeneration that happens in you. There's
a union that you come into by the work of the
Spirit of God. When you believe the message,
concerning the death, concerning the burial,
concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
You are brought into this experience of the kingdom
of God. And all the things we see manifested
this morning, you have access to it. Hallelujah.
So our job as pastors in this church is to bring
you into the realities of things that you have.
Now when hands are laid on you, the believer,
we are not giving you a new spirit. Amen? What
we are doing is that we are stating what is inside
you to manifest. Because all that is in the Spirit
is in you. It's in you. Hallelujah. You can prophesy.
Amen. You can lay hands on the sick, not only
the pastors. Amen. You can give a word of prophecy.
Hallelujah. Amen. Because the Spirit of God lives
in you. In all His various expressions, He lives
in you. Hallelujah. When you are born again,
you receive access to the kingdom of God. Ephesians
chapter 1 verse 13 talks about the seal of the
spirit. It is a permanent thing. In him you also
trusted. After you heard the word of truth. What
is the word of truth? The word of truth is that
Jesus died for your sins. And you are forgiven
of your sins. That is the word of truth. What
happens? The gospel of your salvation. That is
the word of truth. In whom also having what?
You believe this message. Alright? You are sealed
with the Holy Spirit of promise. And this sealed
is what is an eternal sealing of God on you.
Hallelujah. So the believer, you are eternally
sealed with the Spirit of God. So you eternally
have the resources of heaven in you. No matter
the weather, no matter the condition, no matter
the circumstance, even when the physical is not
aligning with what is the Spirit, it does not
deny what has happened in your spirit, man. Hallelujah.
It doesn't matter where you're coming from, your
nationality, your country, your culture. It doesn't
matter even your story, how you were born. It
doesn't matter even the religion that you came
from. Oh, it doesn't matter all the things you've
done before. Some of us don't believe that God
can walk through us. Some of us don't believe
that the Spirit of God can live in us. Listen,
I'm here to tell you that God's system is men.
Hallelujah. And God's system is not for perfect
men, but it's for weak men like you. And what
the Spirit does is that He enables you to do
what? He empowers you. He enables you to live
the life that God has called you to live. Galatians
4, verse 6. We'll see that it is a spirit of
sonship. You've come into a family. And because
you have sons, how did you become sons? You became
sons by believing. God has sent forth the spirit
of his son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Abba, Father is an affectionate call of a father
and a son. Abba, Father is like saying daddy
to God. That is a union you've come into with
God. When you became born again, you were born
into authority. Amen? You are born into authority.
You have access to the fullness of the resources
that are in the Holy Ghost. Hallelujah. 1 Corinthians
12, verse 1. The text the pastor has been teaching
us. Helping us to see. 1 Corinthians, yes. It
says, now concerning spirituals, concerning the
spiritual life, concerning all that Christ has
done in you, concerning everything that God has
done in you by the virtue of you believing in
the message of salvation concerning everything
that God has done in Christ. Brethren, I do not
want you to be ignorant. You know that you were
dentists carried away to these dumb idols, however
you were led by them. That was your former life.
Therefore, I make known to you that no one speaking
by the Spirit of God calls Jesus a curse. And
no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the
Holy Ghost. There are diversities of gifts, right?
We're talking about all the things that are yours
in the Spirit. There are diversities of gifts.
There are varied expressions of the works of
the Spirit that is inherent in you, the believer.
But the same Spirit gives this expression. There
are differences of ministries, but the same Lord
manifests this in you. And there are diversities
of activities, but it is the same God who works
all through you, the believer. Verse 8. Give
me verse 8. For to one is given, then we begin
to see where the pastors have been teaching us.
So the gifts are inherent in you. Hallelujah.
See. The day you became born again, you will
lack nothing. All that is, all that can ever
be is in you. God did not come into you in instrumentals.
Amen. God did not come into you gradually. When
you become more obedient, then God now come fully.
No, no, no. The entirety of the spirit of God
inhabits you, the believer. So you have the capacity,
you have the ability to do what? To manifest
all the expressions of the Spirit in you. Now
the access to the kingdom, what is the access?
The Spirit. Amen. When we talk of access, when
we talk of the key, what are we referring to?
We are referring to the Spirit. Now the access
to the kingdom enables you to be a witness. It
enables you, the believer, To be a witness, to
be witness simply means you manifest unto God.
Acts chapter 1 verse 4 to 6. Acts 1 verse 4 to
8. Acts chapter 1 verse 4 to 8. Acts chapter
1 verse 4. You can see it here. And being assembled
together with them. He commanded them not to
depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise
that was before it was given, but to wait for
the promise of the Father. What is the promise
of the Father? Which he has said to you, you've
heard from me. For John truly baptized with water,
but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit
not many days from now. Therefore, when they
had come together, They asked him, saying, Lord,
will you at this time restore the kingdom to
Israel? Because their eyes is fixed on the carnal
things of this world. They were thinking that
the kingdom is a fiscal kingdom. They were thinking
that what God promised them is something material.
And he said to them, it is not for you to know
times or seasons which the Father has put in
his own authority. But look at it. He brought
their attention to what is promised. Verse 8.
Verse 8. But you shall what? Shall receive power.
Amen. When the Holy Spirit has come upon you
and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem
and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends
of the earth, the uttermost part of the earth.
So the first thing we see the Spirit comes with
in the Christian life is power. Power. You have
power within you. You have power within you.
And power is meant to put to work. Power is the
word dunamis, which means ability. There is an
ability in you. There is an inherent ability
in the believer. Hallelujah. You have an ability
in you and the ability enables you to do. You
have an ability in you and this ability enables
you to do. An inherent ability residing in the
believer. by the virtue of your nature. It is
meant to be exerted out, to be put forth. Now
the Spirit grants the believer access to the
authority to be a witness. Pastor was teaching
us on Wednesday about the word witness. It's
from a Greek word, matis, M -A -R -T -Y -S. It's
a legal word that refers to one who is a spectator
of an event. haven't witnessed something, haven't
seen, haven't tested, haven't been a firsthand,
you know, you've seen the event happen firsthand
by virtue of what God has done in you. You are
now legally, legally, you have the legal ground,
you have the legal stand to do what? To prove
that Jesus is Lord, to prove that Jesus has died,
he has rose again, and he's alive today. So you
have that power, you have that ability in you
to be a witness. So the Holy Spirit gives you
the legal authority to give proofs of who Jesus
is and what he has done in salvation. Hallelujah.
Now we demonstrate this by the display of power
that is in us. How we do this is what? Is by
manifesting power. See, it is not by, it is not,
it is by power. Hallelujah. The kingdom of God
is by what? It's by power, the display of power.
And you have inherently in you that power. You
lack nothing good. You lack nothing. You have
all it takes to manifest all that God has done
in you. There's power in you. You can see through
scriptures how the kingdom is manifested. It
is by the demonstration of power. Matthew chapter
4 verse 23 and 24. You see where Jesus giving
an example how he manifested the power when he
was demonstrating and talking and preaching about
the kingdom. And Jesus went about Galilee, all
Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching
the gospel of the kingdom. And what we see healing
of all kinds of diseases. This is power put to
use and all kinds of diseases among the people.
Then his fame went throughout all Syria. And
they brought to him all the sick people who were
afflicted with various diseases and torments
and those who were demon -possessed, epileptics
and paralytics. Am I saying correctly? Paralytics.
And he what? He healed them all. We can see also
Jesus sending out the disciples. The one he called.
Matthew chapter 10 verse 7. And he gave them
that authority. As you go, preach, saying the
kingdom of heaven has come. Hallelujah. The kingdom
of heaven has come. The kingdom of God has come.
Heal the sick. That's how we demonstrate it.
Heal the sick. Cleanse the lepers. Raise the
dead. Cast out devils. Freely you have received.
How do you give? You don't put a price to it.
Freely. That is how the gospel... It's preach.
That is how we manifest the kingdom. That is
how we manifest the authority and the access
that God has given us. You're not too young for
this. You're not too old for this. You're not
too young for this. You're not too small. Amen?
If these men that are not born again in this
place, these men that are not born again here,
they can go out and cast devils. Amen? They can
go out and heal the sick. What about you? That
the Spirit of God resides in you right now. This
is where our problem is. Knowledge. To know what
you have. To know what God has done. To know
the capacity that is inherent in you. And that
is what church is all about. To bring you to
the fullness. To the knowledge of all that God
has done in you. And then we see you begin to
manifest. And when we say we practice here. See,
in this church we will not stop. You must give
a word in this church. You must prophesy in this
church. You must heal the sick in this church
because that is your right as a believer. That
is who God has called you into. It is not for
some selected people. It's for every believer,
including you. It doesn't matter your history.
We want to deal with that maybe on Wednesday
about, you know, the flesh, right? But I want
you to know that God has put in you the totality
of himself that you will demonstrate this to
the world to see. Hallelujah. The kingdom is
manifested by the demonstration of the power
of the Holy Ghost in the preaching of the gospel,
accompanied by signs and wonders. Look at the
instruction in Mark 16, 16 to 18. Mark 16, 16
to 18. An instruction was given, Mark 16, 16
to 18. It says, he who believes, do you believe?
Amen. How many of us believe in Jesus as a Messiah?
If you believe in Jesus as a Messiah, it means
that you have the ability to preach him in signs
and wonders following. He who believes and is
baptized will be saved. Are you saved today?
We are saved. But he who does not believe is
condemned. Verse 17. And these signs will follow
those who believe. In my name they will cast
out demons. They will speak with new tongues.
Verse 18. They will take up sapiens and if they
drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt
them. They will lay hands on the sick and the
sick will recover. That is your heritage as a
believer. That is who you are. That is who God
has produced in you. See, I have access to all
that is in Christ. And I manifest all that is
in Christ. This manifestation, I'll keep repeating,
is given to all. 1 Corinthians 12 verse 7. 1
Corinthians 12 verse 7. It's to all. But the
manifestation of the Spirit is given to who?
To each one of you. To the prophet of all. It's
given to everybody who is a partaker in this.
Everybody is a partaker in this. Because the
gifts of God, you know, there's no finding fault
in the gift of God. James chapter 1. He doesn't
find fault. Give me the verse, please. I think
in the media people are following me. James 1
verse 5. 17. Okay, let's read 5, then we'll read
17. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of
God, who what? Who gives to all liberal renown?
Look at, this is actually the character of God
here. He gives. When God gives, he gives without...
The liberality of God is that God does not look
for... I like this stripe. This one should take.
This stripe, no. You don't deserve it. No. Without
reproach. Without reproach is without finding
fault. And to be given to him. So all the gifts
of God. Verse 17. Every good gift and every perfect
gift is from where? It's from above. Come down
from the father of light in whom there is no
word. There is no variation. There is no tribalism.
There is no change of mind. There is no segregation.
There is no racism in this. Hallelujah. You have
all it takes. You have all it takes. And Paul
will tell the Corinthians church in chapter 1,
1 Corinthians chapter 12. Not to be ignorant.
Not to be ignorant. Now, concerning spirituals,
concerning this spiritual life, brethren, I would
not want you to be ignorant. And that is a message
to you, the believer today in this church as
you are seated. Concerning all that Christ has
done and all that he has given, God wouldn't
want you to be ignorant. And I want you to know
that Paul, you know, the ignorance of this man,
It's not just that they don't know that these
things exist. From chapter 1, verse 3 to 7, give
me chapter 1, verse 3 to 7, we see that these
men, they understand all that God has given.
Grace to you, that is to the Corinthian church,
and peace from our God, God our Father, and the
Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always concerning
you. for the grace of God which was given to
you by Christ. So this means they know the grace
of God. That you were what? You were enriched
in everything by Him. In what? Outrance. Outrance
is a function of the Holy Ghost. Outrance and
all knowledge. Verse 7. Even as, yes? Even as
the testimony of your Christ. So that you come
short. Verse 7. Verse 7. So that you come short
in no gift. So this means they don't understand
the gift. They have access to the gift. They
come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the
revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. So why would
you come to chapter 12 and tell them that you
wouldn't want it to be ignorant? And this ignorance
is actually about the abuse that they do, even
in the midst of all that they have. They were
very much in knowledge and actually manifesting
the gifts. But the problem with this church is
that they were not walking in love. They were
not walking in love. A lot of things happening
in the church. You are abusing, you know, the
things that they have. And I said earlier, I
said one of the biggest challenges with you,
with me today, is that we don't believe, sometimes
we don't believe that God walks through us. And
as a reminder, I want you to know that you are
the agency by which God will work on the earth.
Amen? You are the agency by which God will work
on the earth. Ezekiel chapter 37 verse 3 to 9,
you see an encounter of the prophet with God.
Give me Ezekiel chapter 3, 37 verse 3 to 9. And
he said to him, Son of man, that's God and the
prophet speaking here. He said to him, Son of
man, can these bones live? So I answered, O Lord
God, you know, only you know what you know. Again
he said to me, prophesy to these bones and say
to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.
First says the Lord God to these bones, surely
I will cause breath to enter into you. and you
shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring
flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath
in you, and you shall live. Then you shall know
that I am the Lord. So I prophesied as I was
commanded. As I prophesied, there was a noise
and suddenly a rattling, and the bones came together
bone to bone. Hallelujah. Why didn't God speak
to the bones? But he decided to speak through
the prophet. Consistently you see through our
scripture that this is God's method. That whatever
he does on the earth, he does by the spirit.
He does by the spirit but through men. Anything
that God will do on the earth is by the spirit.
And man is the agency for the manifestation of
the spirit of God. And you are qualified and
equipped to manifest everything that God is doing,
has done, and will do. 2 Corinthians 2, verse
14. 2 Corinthians 2, verse 14. Now thanks be
to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ.
And through who? Say, through me. Personalizes
through us. Diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge
in every place. It's true men. Are we together?
It's true men. That he diffuses the fragrance
of his knowledge in every place. And this fragrance
of his knowledge has to do with the work of the
spirit in all the earth. But true men. Verse
15. For we are to God the what? The fragrance
of Christ among those who are being saved and
among those who are perishing. Amen. So what
God does on earth? He does it through men. He
does it through men. God uses men to spread the
fragrance of his knowledge on the earth. God
has decided to use man despite his frailty and
weakness. Despite your limitation as a man, God
has pre -planned. You see, he started in Adam.
Adam failed. God didn't change method and say,
okay, I'm going to bring down angels to do the
work. No. He still started fresh. Because God's
method from the beginning is a man. God's plan
in the beginning was for men. God has no plan
B. Amen. God has no second plan. You are the
plan A and the only plan of God. All through
scriptures, we will see the kind of men God works
with. From Abraham to Moses and to the apostles,
these were weak and frail men that God breathed
his spirit upon. They are full of their shortcomings,
full of their weaknesses. full of their humanities,
but we see the Spirit of God dwelling in them
and God begin to work with them. James 5, verse
7 makes a comment. It says, Elijah was a man
of a nature like yours, like mine. And he prayed
earnestly that it will not rain and it did not
rain on the land for three years and six months.
Now the Christian life, I want to remind you
that it is a supernatural life. Amen. You've
been brought into a supernatural life. Not only
a natural life, but a life that is higher above
the natural. Above the natural. You operate in
a realm beyond the physical. That is a relationship
you've been brought into. You operate above the
physical. Beyond the physical. Because you are
spiritual. Because you are supernatural. See,
you cannot believe God and then shy away from
the supernatural life. You are living a lie.
You cannot say, I believe in Jesus. Your salvation
is a supernatural activity. So for you not to
believe in tongues, not to believe in healing,
not to believe in all the supernatural activities
within men, is to live a lie, denying what has
happened to you. Because you're born again. We
didn't see you get born again physically. It's
a supernatural activity. How do we know? We see
the manifestation by the works of the Spirit.
From a transformation of your life, suddenly
you see a man begin to live beyond who he used
to be. God uses ordinary men to do supernatural
work. And you are God's chosen person to do the
work that God has established from the foundation
of the world. Hallelujah. Let's look at one example
and then we close. Let's look at the example
of Stephen. an ordinary man, alright? Whenever
the story of Stephen is read, sometimes we think
there is one big apostle, one of the, you know,
no, no, no, no, no, no. Acts chapter 6, verse
1. Let's look at who Stephen is. And let's take
encouragement from there, then we go. Acts chapter
6, verse 1. Acts chapter 6, verse 1. Now, in
those days, when the number of the disciples
was multiplying, there arose a complaint against
the Hebrews by the Hellenists. Because their
widows were neglected in the daily distribution
of food. So whenever you see quarrel in church,
you can easily trace it to something kind of.
Whenever you see people, it's something natural.
It cannot be things of the spirit. It's here,
it's food. Verse 2. Then the twelve summoned
the multitude of the disciples and said to them,
desirable, it is not good, that we should live
the word of God and serve food. Not that serving
good food is bad. Therefore, brethren, God is
a priority. Therefore, brethren, seek out from
among you seven men of good reputation, full
of what? The Holy Ghost, which means that Stephen,
who we'll see later on, is full of the Spirit
and what? And wisdom. Whom you may appoint over
this business. What business? Evangelism? No.
Welfare. Food. Physical thing. But we will give
ourselves continually to prayer and to what?
To the ministry of the word. And the saint pleased
the whole multitude and they chose who? Stephen.
A man of what? Full of faith. This is a description
of Stephen. A man full of faith. And the Holy
Ghost. And Philip. We'll look at Philip maybe
on Wednesday. And Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon,
Parmenas, and Nicholas. A proselyte from Antioch.
Verse 6. Whom they set before the apostles when
they had prayed and laid hand on them. You see
the laying of hands. Which is important. It's
a practice of the church. We'll see it even in
the epistles. Then the word of God spread, you
see the effect, the word of God spread, and the
number of the disciples multiplied greatly in
Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were
obedient to the faith. He was chosen to serve
tables, full of grace and power. Look at this
description in verse 8. Look at verse 8. Stephen
is full of grace and power, and what? And was
doing wonders. Stephen, full of faith and power.
Where did he get the faith and power? The Holy
Spirit had work in him. He did what? Great wonders
and signs among the people. Who is this person?
He's a church member. Alright? He taught a member
in NACF. He was given the responsibility of serving
as an usher. In him lies an inherent power. If
this Stephen was in some of our churches in Africa,
he would have leave this church and go inside
the ministry. Because he has arrived. And let
me announce to you that every believer has arrived.
Hallelujah. We have come to Mount Zion. Amen?
We have arrived. It's not a journey. The destination
has been... we've joined it in Christ and we've
arrived to the fullness of all that is in Christ.
So let's look at Stephen briefly, down to verse
15, and then we pray. And then we pray. And all
who sat in the council, verse 7, verse 8, yes,
from verse 8, verse 9, verse 8, and Stephen,
full of faith and power, did great wonders and
signs among the people, yes, Then there arose
from what is called in the synagogue of the freed
men, Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from
Cilicia and Asia. What were they doing? They
were disputing with Stephen. Stephen was not
one of the apostles. I want you to remember.
Stephen is a church member. I don't like using
the word church member, but to speak to our today
language. He was a member of the family of God.
He was... Not one of the apostles. But this freedman
came disputing with him. Verse 10. And they were
not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit
by which he spoke. Then they secretly induced
men to say, we have heard him speak blasphemous
words against Moses and God. Because that's the
only way they can deal with him. Because he is
full of wisdom, because the Spirit is in him.
And they stirred up the people, the elders and
the scribes, and they came upon him, seized him,
and brought him to the council. Verse 13. They
also set up false witnesses who said, This man
does not cease to speak blasphemous words against
this holy place and the law. 14. For we have
heard him say that these treasures of Nazareth
will destroy this place and change the custom
which Moses delivered to us. And all who sat
in the council looking steadfastly at him showed
his face. And what did they see? His face as
the face of an angel. There was a glowing on
his face. Then when we read chapter 7, we will
see how Stephen, you know, who was not among
the 12, but can differentiate, we can differentiate
him from the activities we see in the apostles.
He eloquently rightfully, accurately explain
the gospel from Genesis to where they are at
this point. Read through chapter 7, you will
see this explanation. One of the most sing -song
explanations of the gospel I have read in the
New Testament by a man who is a church member.
By an ordinary man whom the Spirit lives, dwells
in. See Stephen's boldness and accurate explanation
of the message. For sure, he was not the type
that misses church services. Right? He was not
the type that he would not attend midweek. Or
it's a struggle for him to be in cell meeting.
He's not the type that when they are in groups
like this, like we're in group today, they say
pray for your neighbor. Then he's catching his
teeth. You see, this business is not for stis.
Amen? When it comes to the things of God, we
give ourselves to them. He was not a man so full
of himself. It means that he participated. It
means that he learned by precepts and by teaching.
He saw the apostles, he learned from them, and
then he began to do. So also you, the believer,
must learn by precepts, by instructions, and
you must do. And what we are telling you is that
all is in you. We are not here as showmen, no.
All that we do, you can do. You can even do greater.
Hallelujah. You can do greater. You will see
later, he's watching chapter 7, verse 60. This
is where the exact words of Jesus on the cross,
when they were about to kill him, when he was
dying. And do you know what? Yes. Then he knelt
down and cried out with a loud voice, Lord, do
not charge them with this sin. And when he said
this, he what? He fell asleep. And you know what?
This Stephen Simon was a Simon Paul heart. Some
of us thought maybe the encounter Paul had on
his way to Damascus was, that was how he got
born again. But can I show you that this was
a Simon Paul heart. And then it resulted to the
encounter he had on his way to Damascus. Look
at chapter 8, verse 1. Chapter 8, verse 1. Then
we close. Saul was there. It means that Saul
listened to all his teaching in chapter 7. He
listened to how Stephen explained about the Christ,
the entire chapter 7, down to verse 60. Now Saul
was consenting to his death. Saul was the one
standing there and what he was watching. That
means that the seat might have been sworn in
his heart concerning Jesus. At the same time,
a great persecution arose against the church
which was at Jerusalem and they were all scattered
throughout the region of Judea and Samaria except
the apostles. Stephen was just, I will use the
word just in quote. He is not just a church member.
But Stephen was a man of like passion like you,
like me. God equipped him and we see him witnessing
with power, with boldness. And will you move
in obedience? Or will you continue to walk in
willful disobedience? Will you walk in obedience
or in disobedience? Disobedience will mean that
you know this truth. as you've heard under the
voice of the Lord this morning, this afternoon,
and then you choose to not, to say, no, this
thing is not for me. See, that behavior, even
God cannot help you. Hallelujah. So I want you
to speak to God this moment as we close. Speak
to God. Speak to God concerning your life. As
the word of God has come to us in the prayers,
we participated and now we hear the word coming
to assure us of what we've learned, what we've
done. I want you to pray for yourself. That you
have the boldness to be a witness. Because you
have the access to the kingdom of God. You have
the access by the Spirit. to all the resources
that are in the kingdom of God. And you can demonstrate
all that is in the spirit. Pray for boldness
at all times. I'm quick to give a word. I'm prompt
to lay hand on the sick, to preach the gospel
as I go out to preach the gospel. We appreciate
you being here today. We hope you carry this
word with you throughout your week. Until next
time, stay blessed.