DECEMBER 2012 OUR MONTH OF HARVEST

As November; Our month of Refreshing wound to a close, I began to rummage through my spirit in search of what to say to God’s people for the month of December. The Lord already told me that December shall be our month of Harvest. He also gave me some texts of scripture to meditate on in connection with harvest and as I looked through the texts in Gen.8:22, Gal.6:7-9 and Matthew 12:33-37, I could not help thinking of the many people around the world who often experience disappointments in life as a result of the operation of this law of seed time and harvest. To appreciate what I am about to talk about, let us see the text of scriptures:

“While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Gen.8:22

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:7-9.

Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. Matthew 12:33-37

Recently, while listening to John Maxwell review his latest book “The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, I heard him make a very profound statement about laws that I do not think I have ever consciously averted my mind to even though I know it is there and have always tried to live by it. He said the interesting thing about a law is that it cuts across every sphere of existence whether we are aware of them or not. In other words, laws work for or against you whether you are aware of them or not depending on whether you obey them or not.

In school, we were taught that ignorance of the law is no excuse. I believe our teachers learnt it from God in Hosea 4:6 where He said through the prophet that His people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Therefore, contrary to the belief in the world that what you don’t know cannot hurt you, what you don’t know may just be your undoing because the truth is that ignorance is not a virtue but a vice.

Consequent on the foregoing, your ignorance of the law of seed time and harvest may be the reason why another year has ended again for you in disappointment. I am sorry if this statement hurt you, but sometimes for you to be healed and make progress in life, you will have to get out of a comfort zone or two; to experience a little pain or inconvenience through exposure and application of the balm of truth. But believe me; this is in your best interest.

If you look deeply at all there texts of scripture quoted above, you would glean the following realities about life among others:

1.     Harvest is preceded by a planting season known as seed time.

2.     Following from one above, you cannot get out of life what you have not put into it. This explains why in our third text of scripture, the Lord said we should either make a tree good and it’s fruit good or make it corrupt and its fruit will be corrupt. In other words, the quality of seed sown will determine the quality of harvest reaped. This was reiterated by Apostle Paul in our second text where he said anyone who sows to the flesh shall reap corruption and anyone who sows to the spirit shall reap life everlasting.

3.     The harvest is usually more than the seeds sown so what you do not want to see in abundance in your life, ensure you do not sow to it. This would help to guard our tongues as we must have what we say [Mk.11:23]. So say what you want to see in your future always.

4.     In our fast paced mammon ruled world, many people have forgotten this precious virtue of sowing precious seeds of the right words and character which gender towards godliness and protect against corruption as well as provide the much sought after wealth. In a bid to get ahead, they have neglected the substance which is the cultivation of the right seeds in the right environment to produce the finished products. Instead, they are putting the cart before the horse seeking the fruit which represents the harvest at the expense of investing time to sow the seeds that guarantee the harvest they desire. The result is that they end up sowing to the flesh and reaping corruption in the process. As I look around me today, I see many chasing after money and fame while neglecting godly values in the process and the result in all the cases is disappointment. Some are disappointed in that they never get either of these things while others are disappointed in that they get them with leanness to their souls. By this I mean they get the mundane and lose the substance like love, joy peace in the Holy Ghost. Then they begin to envy those who were smart enough to recognize that godliness with contentment is great gain. As a result, such people walk in the blessing and end up with the fruit which is the harvest and they are the ones who determine the way things really play out in life; even though they do not have to run around and compromise their godly standards like others. To these kinds of people, little becomes much and small becomes great and wisdom is common place because their affections are set on things above and not on things of this world. Whereas, to the other kind of people, much become little or zero in their hands because by their life styles, they have subjected themselves to the forces of the waster.

5.     The kinds of seeds sown are not money only; you can sow your life (which is what God treasures most), your time, your efforts, your skill etc to enlarge the Kingdom of God and God will see to it that you get back a hundred percent what you give. When you sow your life for instance, you reap a harvest of long life, peace, safety, health, wisdom, joy and in many cases fame and money. God is not a man that He should lie! When I look through history and the present day, the trend has always been the same. Those who sow their destinies to please God never end their journeys small or in shame! You may want to do a little exercise and read through the bible from Genesis to Revelation as well as any history book you can find. Then take an objective look at the most outstanding men and women of God in our generation, you will find this assertion to be the truth.   

Let me close this little message by saying that the law of seed time and harvest has separated the people of this world into two categories. They are the seed minded people and the fruit minded people.

The former are the cultivators who immediately recognize good seeds and find the best ways to plant and nurture them to produce a rich harvest of good things eventually. To these people, little becomes much in their hands and small become great. They do not go around pressuring others for what others can do for them; rather they go around looking for how to add value to others. In the process, God blesses them because the law of seed time and harvest must be enforced and the only person who can enforce this law is God. This is why Apostle Paul affirms that he planted and Apollos watered, but God gave the increase [harvest].

On the other hand, the latter or fruit minded people are always looking for short cuts to get what they want without paying attention to the rule of seed time and harvest. They want the fruits of others and they are not interested in cultivating their own. They are never there for anyone else but for themselves. They would only maintain a relationship from which they benefit regardless of the feelings of the other party to the relationship for instance and wonder why they always experience broken relationships. In life, you cannot eat your cake and have it. You cannot expect what you have not put into life. The fact that you give money in Church for instance, does not guarantee that you will be rich because becoming rich involves a lot more than giving your tithes and offering. From my experience as a minister of the gospel, I have found out that obedience to God is the foundation for playing in this field with excellence. This explains why not every minister of the gospel commands equal attention.

In a bid to reducing the number of people in the latter category, God has sent this word at this crucial time of the year to enable us prepare for His visitation next year. So this month, we shall be looking at the law of seed time and harvest and how best we can engage this law to our advantage to the glory of God.

As I draw the curtain, I want to quickly say here that God has sown the greatest seed anyone could sow and you reading this message could become one of the harvest of this seed if you are not yet one by receiving His precious Son Jesus Christ into your life. If you do so, you receive the right to become a child of God and enjoy the entire benefits and privileges attendant therewith. If you want to reciprocate God’s affection in giving up His all for you, please say the following prayer out loud to God in faith and the Holy Spirit will take you up from there and give you the most pleasant journey through destiny.

            Heavenly father,

Have mercy on me a sinner. I repent of my sin and receive the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross for my salvation. I believe He died for me and on the third day, you raised Him from the dead for my salvation. From today, I receive Him as the Saviour and Lord of my Life.

Thank you father for forgiving me and writing my name in the book of life with the blood of Jesus. I pledge allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ from this day forever in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen!!!

If you just said this prayer, congratulations! You are now born again.  Please let me know by emailing flourishinggirl@gmail.com and I will send you an e copy of our “Believers’ Guide to Growth” to enable you take off on this glorious adventure of the new creation. You can also log on to my blog on www.flourishinggirl.blogspot.com or follow me on face book at www.facebook.com/flourishinggirl   for more resource materials to enrich your Christian life. God bless you!!!

  

The University Student Who Went by the Cross Roads.

Opposite our front gate lived a university student who was to have graduated from the
university that year. After moving here I talked with him, asking him to come over and
discuss the Bible and Christianity in a friendly way. He came a few days, and I felt
certain he was convinced of the truth of what I said. The questions he raised seemed to
be answered to his full satisfaction.
Through him I managed to get a chance to talk with some of the other university
students during their vacation. I had been going to their rooms ten days, when there came the mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon Adullam. The students were friendly, and I felt that the student I have mentioned saw clearly the truth of the gospel.
I could see that, although he was polite, he was not disposed to accept the truth and did
not seem to like the friendly way the other students responded to the Bible discussions.
One morning when one of our girls was out at our front gate it happened that this
young university student was out there too. The girl began telling him he ought to be a
Christian, in a simple way urging him to believe in Jesus to save him from his sins,
make him a good man, save him from hell, and lead him to heaven.
"What's the use of my being a Christian ? I do not need to be saved."
"You might die suddenly in your sins, and you would go to hell."
"Who are you?" scoffed the student. "You are a little snip of an ignorant girl, just a sort
of useless beggar. What do you suppose you are trying to do? You are trying to teach
me something when you are not worthy to even talk to me. I am a university student. I
am wise. I have read many books. I have been many years in Peking. I can speak and
read English as well as Chinese." He then spat in her face and told her to mind her own
business.
Two weeks later hearing a funeral commotion in the front alley, I was surprised to learn that they were carrying this university student to his burial; I had seen him on the
street a few days before. One of the boys said that as we were going out to preach, a
few days previous, he had offered this young man a tract, but he would not take it.
I knew nothing of this conversation with the girl. About a month later this girl was in a
trance under the power of the Spirit. After seeing visions of heaven and the glories of
the redeemed she stood still and bent over as though looking into hell. This is what I
heard: "Ah! There is hell. No, I cannot; I have no power to help you now. You certainly
are in an awful plight. It is you who are worse than a beggar now, all dirty, all filthy,
and suffering in the lake of fire. In fact, you look worse now than any beggar I ever
saw. I thought you told me you were rich and that you had a great education. Where is
your education now? Well, I cannot help you now even if you do apologize. That may
be, but I have no power. No, only Jesus can save you, but when I told you about Him
you made fun of Him and cursed me.
"Look what we beggars who believe in Jesus have received in heaven: all is joy, all is
happiness; all is love in the city of golden streets with its wonderful Paradise of God."
You can act wiser than this foolish undergraduate today by saying the following prayer out loud to God if you are yet to do so and living the rest of your life to please Him:
The sinner’s prayer
Heavenly father,
Have mercy on me a sinner. I repent of my sin and receive the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross for my salvation. I believe He died for me and on the third day, you raised Him from the dead for my salvation. From today, I receive Him as the Saviour and Lord of my Life.
Thank you father for forgiving me and writing my name in the book of life with the blood of Jesus. I pledge allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ from this day forever in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen!!!
If you just said this prayer, congratulations! You are now born again.  Please let me know by emailing flourishinggirl@gmail.com and I will send you an e copy of our “Believers’ Guide to Growth” to enable you take off on this glorious adventure of the new creation. God bless you!!!

Who is a False Prophet?

False Prophets

A false prophet is anyone who pretends to be a man or woman of God when they are not. They claim to be called of God and sent to help mankind whereas, they are either doing that for covetous purposes or directly on behalf of the devil with the intent to deceive people and turn their hearts from God to the devil. They either never heard the call of God or heard at some point but later deviated into apostasy.

The definition of a false Prophet is brought out clearly in this statement of the Lord in Matt.7:15-23:

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

From this text of Scripture, we learn the following truths about false Prophets:

False prophets are described as ravening wolves that come to us in sheep’s clothing. This is a figurative expression describing a hypocrite. A friend of mine, who is a Pastor now, once told me a story of a Church his wife took him to when he was still a young convert. The lady pastoring the Church according to him came up with a very funny “revelation”. According to him, this lady pastor told him that from that day, he was to start treating her like his wife. That whatever he did for the wife, he should also do for her. He said he could not take it alone, so he called the wife to hear it and this “lady Pastor” had the effrontery to repeat he “revelation”! He said his wife did not say anything to this lady pastor that day. Then one day, the lady pastor came to their house; presumably to implement the “revelation”. This brother’s wife gave her a sound beating and threw her out of their house!

While this may sound funny, it is not something to be taken lightly at all because they later discovered that this same lady Pastor was committing adultery with another man in the same Church. Her ridiculous explanation for this adultery was that that was the means through which she transferred the man’s “blessings” to him! Sadly, this is not an isolated case. It is a common occurrence in the African Continent. Many people due to poverty and a desire to get something for nothing have become preys to these ravening wolves (greedy and voracious agents of the devil).

Interestingly, these occurrences are not new. In the book of Revelation, Jesus warned the Church in Thyatira of his impending judgment of a false prophetess luring His servants into adultery and feeding them food sacrificed to idols. In Rev.2:20-23, Jesus Christ said to the Church:

“Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.

Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.”

From this text, we can see that this so called prophetess is the one who calls herself so; the Lord did not call her a prophetess but Jezebel. This refers to a spirit in some women who seek to gain undue control over a congregation (over which they have no spiritual authority) mostly through their lying dreams and visions. You would recall that Jezebel in the Old Testament was the wife of Ahab; a king who once reigned in Israel. She was so domineering that she controlled the affairs of the kingdom of Israel during their reign through her sorceries and witchcraft. You will find her account in 1Kings 16-22.

In 2Cor.11:13-15, Apostle Paul describes these false Prophets as false Apostle. He said:

“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”

In my Country, you have some of these title crazy people who are not really servants of God, but pretend to be. There is a notorious one whose chief activity is adultery and extortion. As this nefarious activity persisted, his associate Pastors who really wanted to serve the Lord began to resign one after the other.

If a lady goes to a pastor for counseling for instance and the man’s prescription is sex as a means of transferring the ‘blessing’, she should escape for her life because it is a hallmark of false prophets to “renew” their evil powers through sexual intercourse with unsuspecting victims. They are aptly described by Apostle Peter in 2Pet.2:1-3, 12-19:

“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

       … But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;

Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.

These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.”

Here, Apostle Peter describes them as false teachers peddling damnable heresies denying the Lordship of Jesus Christ all for covetous motives. Their conscience has become so desensitized by sin that the Apostle describes them as blemishes in their feasts with eyes full of adultery and are so given to vanity that they cannot speak of anything else but vanities. When you hear them speak, you could hardly hear any edifying words flow through them because they are empty. They cannot give what they do not have. He also describes them as wells without water and clouds without rain. This describes a people who can make many promises and deliver on none of them because they are incapable of deliveries due to carnality. Spirituality is the fertile soil for spiritual productivity and they are not spiritual at all; they are carnal like the devil. He sums their description by pointing out that they promise liberty while they themselves are the agents of corruption! What a paradox!

Welcome to November 2012 Our month of Refreshing

Our text scripture for the month is Acts 3:19-21 and I will quote from both the KJV and Amplified bible. That text reads:

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” KJV

The Amplified Bible puts it this way:

“So repent (change your mind and purpose), turn around and return [to God], that your sin may be erased (blotted out, wiped clean), that times of refreshing (of recovering from the effects of heat, of reviving with fresh air), may come from the presence of the Lord:

And that He may send [to you] the Christ (the Messiah). Who before was designated and appointed for you even-Jesus.

Whom heaven must receive [and retain] until the time of the complete restoration of all that God spoke by the mouth of all His holy prophets from ages past [from the most ancient time in the memory of man].”

As I awoke this morning, my heart was ringing with this song by Panam Percy Paul:

Few years turning into few months; in just few days

Jesus will come

No more crying; we shall be rejoicing

In just few days we will go home.

When I woke up fully, I added my favorite song by Pastor Andrae Crouch:

“Soon and very soon we are going to see the King 2ice

Halleluiah, halleluiah we are going to see the king

No my dying there we are going to see the King

No more weeping there we are going to see the king.

Halleluiah, halleluiah we are going to see the king!

Should there be any river we must cross

Should there be any mountain we must climb

God will supply all the strength that we need

Give us grace till we reach the other side…”

As I meditated on these lyrics together with the word of the Lord which came to me from Joel 2:18-26 when we were praying in Church yesterday putting it together with our text scripture for the month, I cannot help but feel a sense of excitement that the Church is in her greatest period in time.

Jesus Christ is coming soon to fulfill all that God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets preceding us from the farthest time in the memory of man. The bible says He is coming for a glorious Church – without spot or wrinkle. As the days progress more, I understand better now why the Lord has been so emphatic on our getting rid of carnality and living spiritual lives.

The work load on us as a ministry this year has been huge in spite of the strength of the work force, but God has made up for us by supplying all our needs. He has enabled us to broadcast the gospel on television, internet and radio and the print media this year more than ever before. He has also enabled us to take on building projects beyond our human capacity and is blessing the work with His favour beyond our wildest dreams.

And now, the compassionate God that He is has shown up again, He wants us to clean up and come and be refreshed and recover from the effects of heat brought on us through labour and self-inflicted stress due to missing the mark or not going by divine direction.  He indeed wants us rejuvenated for our own good; what a good God we serve!!!

In light of this, our focus this month shall be on the most important person on earth right now. So I shall be teaching on the gifts and the Ministry of the Holy Spirit from one of my latest books so titled. The reason is that it is His job to bring us this much needed refreshing and we would do well to tune in by knowledge. The more of Him we know, the more refreshing we can enjoy! You can keep up with these teachings by logging on to www.facebook.com/flourishinggirl and www.flourishinggirl.blogspot.com or www.jointheirsfamily.blogspot.com.

If you are not born again and you are reading this piece, I would like you to know that you are not reading by accident. Events were orchestrated from the realm of the spirit that caused you to be reading now. Jesus wants to give you rest from all your troubles. In Matthew 11:28, He said: “come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” To receive that rest, please say the following prayer out loud and mean it with all your heart to God and a new day will dawn for you:

            Heavenly father,

Have mercy on me a sinner. I repent of my sin and receive the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross for my salvation. I believe He died for me and on the third day, you raised Him from the dead for my salvation. From today, I receive Him as the Saviour and Lord of my Life.

Thank you father for forgiving me and writing my name in the book of life with the blood of Jesus. I pledge allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ from this day forever in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen!!!

If you just said this prayer, congratulations! You are now born again.  Please let me know by emailing Flourishinggirl@gmail.com and I will send you an e copy of our “Believers’ Guide to Growth” to enable you take off on this glorious adventure of the new creation. God bless you!!!

A Major Feature Heralding the Lord’s Return

A major feature heralding the Lord’s return as shown by the Lord Jesus Christ is the advent of false Christs and false Prophets deceiving many. In Matthew 24:4-5, 11 & 24 Jesus Christ said:

“… Take heed that no man deceive you.

For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

… And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

… For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”

This explains why an understanding of the contents of this book cannot be overemphasized.  If we understand how to identify false Prophets and false Christs, the likelihood of our falling prey to their deception will be greatly minimized or eliminated altogether.

It would interest you to know that while the anti-Christ has not yet manifested physically, his spirit is already in operation on earth and is using false prophets. In his letter to the early Church, the Apostle John took the time to explain this to the early Church in 1John 2:18-21 thus:

“Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.”

From these texts of Scripture, we have some consolations. Jesus made it clear in Matthew 24:24 that it would not be possible to deceive the elect. Who is the elect? You! If you have made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life and are continuing in His word [Jn.8:31-32]. The reason why you cannot be deceived is that you have the Holy Spirit in you directing you as Apostle John lets us know here. That is the reason you are reading this book now because He has orchestrated the events that brought this book about and put it in your hand.

In our Country Nigeria for instance, we have one claiming to work for the Lord and has built a “Church” that has branches in some other nations. He is even purportedly working miracles. However, from the fruits he is bearing, people began to question his authenticity. So the Pentecostal Fellowship of the Country refused to recognize him. When he was interviewed by Time Magazine, he was asked when he got saved and he gave the ridiculous reply that he was saved from his mother’s womb! He was also unable to point to a pastor who mentored him. Only gullible and covetous people are caught in this man’s web in a Country where there is so much light in the Church of Jesus Christ.

As simple as these criteria may seem, they are important pointers to his impersonation. Everyone who has ever been called of God to do His work since the Church was founded had references. Jesus personally mentored the first disciples and through them, the gospel has passed from generation to generation

As powerful as the ministry of Apostle Paul is, you would recall that in Acts 9 the Lord referred Him to Ananias to be baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit after He had acknowledged the Lordship of Jesus Christ when He encountered Him on his way to Damascus.

The meaning of the words: Prophet and Christ

Prophet

A prophet is a mouthpiece for God or someone through whom God decides to speak to others. For our purpose in this book, prophets shall include everyone in the fivefold ministry of Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher spelt out in Ephesians 4:11-15 thus:

“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:”

From our text of scripture here, it is very clear that prophets are given by God to men. For example, the Apostle is a messenger of God assigned with the task of pioneering God’s work. They thus enjoy such grace that enables them to flow in all the fivefold ministry offices depending on the need God wants to use them to meet.

Next to Apostles are Prophets and they, like the Apostles, are foundation layers but they do not flow in all fivefold ministry gifts like Apostles do. In Ephesians 2:20, while describing the place of the Gentile converts in the covenant of grace, Apostle Paul said in verse 19 that they are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and of the Household of God. Then he describes the household of God or the Church as being built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets: Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Corner Stone.

Next to the Prophets are the Evangelists whose main assignment is to preach to save the lost. God usually grants them grace to work signs and wonders to enable them carry out this task with ease.

The next in line are the Pastors. Their task is to gather the young converts and nurture them to maturity to the point that when mature, these converts can be used of God to raise others.

Finally we have the Teachers. Their main mission is to rightly divide the word bringing clarity and understanding of scriptures in such a way that others can be instructed and know how to live. Their ministry guarantees the continuity of any work of God because without the teaching ministry, no work has a future.

For our purpose, prophets represent all these. One thing we must know about prophets is that they are called by God into that office. In Jeremiah 1:4-5 where the prophet was recalling how he was called to that office, he said:

“Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”

This truth that Prophets are called by God was also emphasized by the call of John the Baptist. We are told of the spectacular miracle that surrounded his birth and divine assignment. In fact, his ministry was prophesied about eight hundred years earlier by Isaiah – an Old Testament Prophet. This is why when John was told to identify himself; he identified himself from the prophecy of Isaiah in Isa.40:3.  In Jn.1:23, he said:

“… I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.”

All the Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ were called by Him into the ministry as the Holy Spirit led him. After His glorification, all those who claimed Apostleship were also called by him. An example of this could be seen in Acts 9 when He called Saul who later became Apostle Paul.

Another distinguishing characteristic of Prophets is that they are led by the Holy Spirit and as such they bear the fruit of the spirit as shown in Gal.5:22-23. They also direct people to God and the Lord Jesus Christ and not to themselves. In Jn.16:13-14, Jesus Christ describes the ministry of the Holy Spirit to us thus:

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

In light of this text of Scripture, anyone who is led by the Holy Spirit would therefore not direct people to themselves but to God the Father and Jesus Christ. This was clearly exemplified by Paul and Barnabas when after God worked a miracle through Paul to heal a lame man in Iconium, the people attempted to worship them. They rent their clothes and discouraged the people from worshipping them as gods and took the time to direct them to the living God who they were representing. You will find this story in Acts 14:8-18.  

In summation here therefore, Prophets are God’s agents called of God to represent His interest on earth. They speak and act on behalf of God to bring help to mankind and God anoints them with power confirming what they say and do with signs following. They also bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit and direct the heart of people to God and not to themselves because they are led by the Spirit of God.

Christ

The suffering of humanity today and the various atrocities perpetrated among the human race leaves one in no doubt of the need of a Saviour or Messiah. Clearly, the foundation of man’s problem is sin and anyone who will liberate man from sin, would have taken care of the foundation of man’s problem effectively. Only one sacrifice was required for this and this must be a sinless man who must bear the sin of the whole human race on himself even though He has not sinned.

The word “Christ” means the anointed one or the Messiah. This anointed one or Messiah; for our purpose, refers to the only person whose mission it is to liberate the whole world from their sin. There is only one person who was found worthy to do this and this is the man Jesus Christ who also is God. The bible refers to Him as the word of God and God in John 1:1 and the word which became flesh in Jn.1:14.  Then He is also described as the only begotten Son of God in whom we must believe and be saved in Jn.3:16.

The importance of recognizing only Jesus Christ as the Messiah or Christ cannot be overemphasized as it is the foundation of the faith of God that guarantees eternal life.  This is clearly seen in Matthew 16:13-19 where Jesus exclaimed that Peter could only have known Him by a divine revelation when Peter told Him that He was the Christ. The text reads thus:

“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

In His response, Jesus made it very clear here that He would build His Church and the gates of hell will attempt to stop Him but will not prevail. One of the means by which the gates of hell will attempt to do this is through the ministry of false Prophets and false Christs.

This truth that Jesus is the Christ; the Son of the Living God is what the early Church fathers lived and died for. This is the truth Jesus proved by His death on the Cross, His burial and resurrection on the third day. This is the truth Jesus Christ confirmed on the day of Pentecost in Acts Chapter 2 when He sent the Holy Spirit to birth the Church. This truth is what the devil seeks to attack through the ministry of false Prophets and Christs.  This is the truth that made Apostle John raise an alarm that the spirit of the anti-Christ was in their midst when he saw many deceivers entering among the brethren to deceive them. In 1Jn.4:1-4, we read:

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.”

False prophets as we can see from this text; are controlled by the spirit of the anti-Christ. The word anti-Christ means against Christ. More will be said on this in a later chapter.

The Christ therefore refers to Jesus the son of the living God who came by blood and water and through whom eternal life is delivered to mankind after a confession of faith in Him (see Jn.17:3; Rm.10:8-11 and 1Jn.5:6).

HOW TO IDENTIFY FALSE CHRISTS AND PROPHETS

 {an excerpt from my book of this title}
DEDICATION
To all the saints of God in Northern Nigeria who have suffered untold hardship in the hands of the anti-Christ masquerading with religion. When I think of your suffering for the Cross of Christ, I cannot stop thinking that in heaven some will be more equal than others. You are my true Heroes!
To all the ...

saints of God who have suffered in the hands of false Prophets, Teachers and Apostles due to ignorance born out of want of true spiritual leadership. It is my heart felt prayer that the light from this book will liberate you and set you free to be a servant of the Lord.
INTRODUCTION
Just yesterday, as I write, I heard this story about an event in Northern Nigeria that was even videoed and sent to a man of God in England who visited Nigeria and was addressing us at a gathering of Ministers of the Gospel. He recounted how he was shown a film by a man of God from Plateau State in Nigeria of the persecution of the saints of God in the Northern part of the country. He said that in the film, he saw how Christians were cut on the forehead with cutlass by the children of the bondwoman and forced to run while bleeding. These agents of the devil did not stop at that, but kept on cutting them from behind while they ran until they dropped dead.
Another scene he described was that of a Pastor’s wife whom they forced to lie on her back and drove a bottle into her vagina and forced her up again and ordered her to run. She was running with her legs apart with blood oozing out of her body. This brought tears to my eyes as I imagined the excruciating pain this woman of God must have had to endure for the Cross of Christ.
Another story I heard from a sister yesterday as I write is about a man in Lagos Nigeria; who went in search of a solution from a false prophet. The false prophet gave him an evil prescription which included that he had his bath with soap and sponge given to him by this false prophet. This gullible man did as he was told and sank into the ground where he went to take his bath. Only the sponge and soap were found at the scene until his body was later exhumed from the ground.
As I write, my heart bleeds. I had a restless night as I thought on these events, but I woke up with this song: “IT WONT BE LONG” by Andrae Crouch this morning and my heart was comforted.
From these two real life stories we cannot deny the devastating consequence of ignorance brought upon a people resulting in the thriving of the evil machinations of the anti-Christ and false prophets. This, I believe, is in part due to a want of real spiritual leadership for some and for others an outright rejection of the truth because they want to get something for nothing.
My intention through this book is to unmask false Prophets, false Apostles, false Teachers, false pastors, false evangelists and false Christs. This is with the intent that everyone who truly seeks to know the one true God of the universe in experience be liberated and released to know Him.
By way of introduction, let us look at the definition of our book title HOW TO IDENTIFY FALSE PROPHETS AND FALSE CHRISTS. For the purpose of clarity, I would like to break down the words and define them separately before putting them together again to get a clear picture of what we are looking at here. Your destiny may well depend on your understanding this truth.
To identify means to be able to say for sure or to recognize. False Prophets are people who claim to be prophets of God and are not. False Christs refers to anyone handing himself out as the Messiah or Saviour of mankind apart from Jesus Christ. Thus the title of this book means how to recognize those pretending to be prophets and Christ when they are not.