Access to the Kingdom of God pt 2

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. Just appreciate God that you are part

of this plan of God. You are part of this plan

of God. Just open your mouth and pray. Just pray

for some minutes. Pray, pray, pray. And thank

God that you are part of this plan of God. That

from the ages past, God has you in mind. He has

me in mind. He has all of us in mind. And he

has brought us into this plan. And this plan,

we see, is a promise. And this promise is a spirit

of God that has been given to us. Hallelujah.

So just thank God. Thank God for this reality.

That you are not a spectator, but you are a participant.

You are a fellow heir with other believers of

this promise, the promise of God. Hallelujah.

Say, I have access to the kingdom of God by the

spirit of God. I have access to the kingdom of

God. I have access to the kingdom of God by the

spirit of God. I have access to all the resources

of the kingdom of God. I have access to all the

resources of the kingdom of God. I therefore

manifest the kingdom of God. I therefore manifest

the kingdom of God. I preach the gospel in the

demonstration of the Holy Ghost. I preach the

gospel in the demonstration of the Holy Ghost.

I walk in signs and wonders. I operate in the

gifts of the Spirit. My life reflects the Spirit's

lifestyle. My life reflects the Spirit's lifestyle.

I manifest the fruits of the Spirit because I

have access to the kingdom of God. Hallelujah.

And this is our story. This is our song. And

this is our reality. Hallelujah. We're looking

so tired. Is it because it's evening? Amen. Is

your spirit tired? Can the spirit in you be tired?

Hallelujah. Amen. So I just want you to just

be alive as we look into, you know, the things

that are ours in Christ Jesus. The summary of

everything that we said we have. is what we see

in the Spirit. Jesus Christ has given us by the

virtue of his death, his burial, and his resurrection.

So we have access to all the resources. And what

we do when we study the Word of God is that we

learn what Christ has done in this world. We

learn what Christ has done. Hallelujah. In salvation,

we don't need fullness of knowledge. to be born

again. We just have to know that Jesus has died

for our sins and we believe and we are saved.

But once we come into this, you know, this reality,

we'll begin to learn what God has done. We begin

to understand our identity. We begin to understand

the resources. We begin to understand our privilege,

our privileges. We begin to understand our responsibilities.

We begin to understand, you know, the desire

of God. for our conduct as believers. Hallelujah.

Now, you don't become transformed before you

are saved. That is not how it happens. Amen?

You can come to God the way you are, from wherever

you are. Hallelujah. But the moment you become

a believer, we begin to see a transformation

in your life. So what we expect is that the Spirit

of God that lives in you, beginning to walk.

a new lifestyle in you because there's a new

occupant in you. Hallelujah. So we see that the

access to the kingdom of God, you know, enables

the believer to be a witness. So the walking

of the spirit in the believer enables the believer,

empowers the believer to become a witness. Acts

Acts 1:4

chapter 1 verse 4. Acts chapter 1 verse 4. We'll

Acts 1:4

continue from our teaching on the access, access

to the kingdom of God. Acts chapter 1, verse

Acts 1:4–8

4 to 8. And being assembled together with them,

commanded them, okay, and being assembled together

with them, he commanded them not to depart from

Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the

Father. Hallelujah. And we, we saw in Ephesians

3 that we are part, we've enjoyed, we are partakers

of this promise. They should wait for the promise

of the Father, which he said to you, which he

said, 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 of, kingdom

to Israel? 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 you shall receive

what? You shall receive power. Okay? So the Spirit

of God in us is power. When the Holy Spirit has

come upon you, and you shall be what? You shall

be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea,

and in Samaria, And to where? To the ends of

the earth, to the outermost part of the world.

Hallelujah. So the first thing we see the Spirit

produces within the Christian is what? It's power.

Okay? It's power. And power enables the believer

to act. Alright? Power enables the believer to

do what? To act. It enables the believer to function.

So the Holy Spirit walking in us gives us an

ability. It gives us an ability, gives us an

authority to act. The Spirit grants a believer

access to the authority of God to legislate on

behalf of God, to be a witness for God. Hallelujah.

We have the ability or the authority to be witnesses.

All right? So anything we say later on, I'm just

making a recap of what we saw on Sunday. We said

also that anything that God will do on the earth,

he does it how? How does he do it? He does it

by the spirit, right? But through us, through

men. Not just any man, but through a man that

is born again, a man that has come to believe

in Jesus Christ. So God walks on earth by his

spirit, okay? But he walks by his spirit through

men. So the agency by which God manifests The

works of the Spirit on earth is through men.

We read in 2 Corinthians 2 about how God diffuses

the knowledge. 2 Corinthians 2, verse 14 and

2 Corinthians 2:14

15. 2 Corinthians 2, verse 14 and 15. Now thanks

2 Corinthians 2:14

be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ.

who always leads us in triumph in Christ. And

through us, he diffuses the fragrance of his

knowledge in every place. This is the work of

the Spirit in the believer. You know, he diffuses

the knowledge of his... Verse 14, give verse

14 again. Yes. He diffuses... The fragrance of

his knowledge, not in some few places, but in

every place, in every place. Hallelujah. For

we are to God, the what? The fragrance of Christ

among those who are being saved and among those

who are perishing. So God uses ordinary men like

you and I to do supernatural work on the earth.

He does supernatural work on earth, not through

angels, but through men, but through you and

I. We are God's system for his work on the earth.

Through us, God does his work on the earth. Hallelujah.

And God bypassed our frailty, right? Our frailty

simply means our human limitation. Now, we're

not talking about sinfulness here. Okay? Because

first of all, for us to be useful to God, first

of all, he create a capacity in us. And the capacity

is that he take away our sin. In his death, his

burial, and his resurrection. Hallelujah. Then

he places his spirit in us. So the spirit of

God in us is what gives us what? The strength

and the ability, not relying on our strength,

but relying on the strength of the spirit of

God in us to do the work of God. Because the

work of God cannot be done by the flesh. The

work of God cannot be done with the wisdom of

men. The work of God can only be done by the

Spirit and by the wisdom of God working in men.

Hallelujah. Now let's look at an example of a

man. A man, we saw an example on Sunday, of Stephen.

A man of light passion like us. who was able

to do great and mighty works because he has the

Spirit of God in him. Hallelujah. And I believe

that God is also looking up to us in this dimension

that we will cooperate with him, okay, to bring

about his plan and his purpose on earth. Acts

Acts 8:1

chapter 8, verse 1. Acts chapter 8, verse 1.

Acts 8:1

Acts chapter 8. Acts chapter 8 verse 1. We're

Acts 8 · chapter mention Acts 8:1

going to see another example. Now, Saul was consenting

to his death. Who's death? To Stephen's death,

right? At that 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. Verse

2. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial

and made a great lamentation over him. As for

Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every

house and dragging off men and women, committing

them to prison. You know, later on, Paul will

say that he did this in ignorance. Because as

far as he's concerned, this is the work of God.

He was zealous. Paul was not a non -challenged

person. Amen? He was not a non -challenged person.

Even in ignorance, he was serious in ignorance.

To tell you that God will not work with somebody

that is not serious. Hallelujah. I'll tell you

some people that if you are doing crime, we know

that you are serious by your attitude to everything.

Hallelujah. Even in the world, we see Paul, he

was doing it with all of his mind. And when there

is a diversion to his direction, what do we see?

We see the same equal measure of grace, of what?

Of vigor, of strength in the work of the ministry.

Hallelujah. So, God demands this sense of fervency

from us as we give ourselves to his service.

Hallelujah. Verse 4. Therefore, those who were

scattered went everywhere. They went everywhere.

And when they ran away, what were they doing?

They didn't give up on their faith. They were

preaching the word. Verse 5. Now, this is a matter

I want us to consider. Then Philip went down

to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to

them. And the multitude with one accord. He did

the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing.

What did they see? They see the miracles which

Philip did. Now, when we read about Philip in

the Bible, oftentimes we think that Philip is

a very special man. You know, he's a very special

man and his anointing is a special anointing.

But what I want to bring to our notice is that

Philip... is equally as empowered by the Spirit

of God as you are. Are we together? Now let's

look at what he did in verse 7. It says, For

unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came

out of many, not few, who were possessed, and

many who were paralyzed and lame and were healed.

And there was a great joy in which city? In Samaria

because of the work that Philip did in Samaria.

Hallelujah. So there are some certain things

that I want us to note about Philip, okay? That

Philip was not one of the apostles. Remember

also with Stephen, okay? That he was not one

of the apostles, but he was a disciple of the

apostles. What we call today in court, he was

an ordinary church member. There's nothing like

ordinary church member. But to speak in our language,

he was a church member. All right? No man is

ordinary here. Hallelujah. Nobody here is ordinary.

All of us are valued and are powerful equally

because we possess the Spirit of God in us. Hallelujah.

So he was not one of the apostles, but a disciple

of the apostles. He was a church member. But

what we see is that he was full of the Spirit,

was full of the ridiculous, and of good character.

How do I come to know that he is of good character?

Chapter 6, verse 3. He was among those who were

selected to share food in chapter 6. Acts chapter

Acts 6:3–5

6, verse 3 to 5. Therefore, Brennan, seek out

among you seven men of good reputation. All right?

If we make this call in any safe and say, please,

we need five men of good character to come out.

Choose among you seven men of good character.

Will your friend point it out? Your housemates,

will you vote for them and say, this person is

a man of good character? After you cook food

and then you carry the entire pot to your room.

Amen? And then you come here and then we are

shouting hallelujah together. Will your friend

say you are a man of good character? Will your

wife say you are a man of good character? Will

your husband say you are a woman of good character?

Will even your children say you are a man or

a woman of good character? Hallelujah. Because

a spirit indwelling in you should produce a character.

Hallelujah. So see, They asked them to choose

men of good character. All right? Therefore,

brethren, seek out from among you seven men of

good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and

wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

But we will give ourselves continually to prayer

and to the ministry of the Word, and the same

please the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen,

a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and

who? And this same Philip. Prochorus, Nicanor,

Timon, Parmenas, Nicholas, a proselyte from Antioch.

So this means that for him to be of good character,

he followed duly the teachings and emulates the

lives of the apostles. Because this is what produces

the result in his life. It means that he follows

the teachings and emulates the lives of the apostles.

Was it not from Philip's life that he was passionate

and intentional about the preaching of the gospel,

regardless of persecution? They chased them here,

they ran away, they moved to a new town, and

what? They continued the business of preaching

of the gospel. Hallelujah. We are not so sure

whether if we leave Cyprus. Some of you, we want

to establish you to a point that we are sure

that when you leave Cyprus, wherever you are,

we know what you will be doing. Hallelujah. But

sometimes, you know, people when they leave an

environment, when they change the environment,

their lifestyle changes. And their conduct changes.

And they forget that they are ministers. Hallelujah.

I was talking to a brother that left here for

quite a while. yesterday on the phone and I was

asking him, I said, do you remember, do you still

remember who you are? That was what I keep asking

him. Do you still remember who you are? Do you

still remember that you are a minister of God?

Do you still preach the gospel? He said, this

year has been a very difficult year. I said,

it means that you've not been living the life

that we've taught you. It means that you've not

been living according to your identity that we've

been teaching you for all the years that you've

been here. You've been here for over seven years

and we expect you. So it was a time of admonition

and encouragement. Hallelujah. So for all of

us, we see in the life of Philip that he was

passionate. He was passionate about the work

of preaching the gospel. He was intentional.

Regardless of the circumstance of persecution,

he didn't give up. He did this. How? How did

he do it? In the demonstration of the power.

Of the Holy Spirit, verse 5 to verse 8, Acts

8, we'll see the way he demonstrated it. Healing

of the sick, casting out of devils. Particularly,

you know, we see verse 5, verse 6. Verse 5, the

Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached

the Christ to them. He preached Christ to them.

All right? And there was a change. A multitude

heeded the things. spoken by Philip, and hearing

and seeing their head and their soul. Amen? So

that is how our ministry should be. People should

hear and also see. All right? The demonstration

of the Spirit of God practically in our lives.

For unclean spirits crying out with a loud voice

came out of many who were possessed, and many

who were paralyzed, lame, and lame were healed.

And there was great joy in that city. Hallelujah.

I want to look at verse 12. Verse 12. But when

they believed Philip, as he preached the things,

what did he preach to them? He preached to them

the things concerning who? Concerning the kingdom

of God and the name of Jesus Christ. All right?

Things concerning the kingdom of God. That and

they is which is, right? Because the things of

the kingdom are not different from the things

concerning the name of Christ, the name of Jesus

Christ. So preaching the things concerning the

kingdom of God, which are in the name of Jesus

Christ, and we see both men and women were what?

Believed. Hallelujah. Both men and women believed.

Amen. Also, Philip hears and understands the

leading of God always. This means he was so intimate

with God and his devotion that he can hear and

know the voice of God and also act in obedience.

This is not for special men. This is not for

pastors. This is not only for leaders. When you're

a leader, then now you need to learn how to hear

God because you have a people you already didn't

know. This should be the life of every believer.

That you ought to learn to know the voice of

God, recognize the voice of God, and live in

obedience to the voice of God. Because that is

the only man, this is the kind of man or woman

that God will use. If a man and a woman or a

woman does not hear, does not understand when

God is speaking, how can you do the will of God?

It's impossible. But we can see it practically

in this man's life. Being a church member. Being

a disciple of the apostles. In Acts 8, verse

Acts 8:26

26. Let's look at verse 26. Now an angel of the

Lord spoke to Philip. An angel of the Lord spoke

to him. Which means that this man was having

supernatural encounters. Amen? It's not strange

to him to have an encounter with the angel of

God. And the reason is not for you to tell us

that you have an encounter with an angel of God.

Hallelujah. It's not to add to your CV of spiritual

rankings. But rather it's to the end that you

do the work of God. That is the essence. That

is the essence. So we see here there is an angelic

encounter. Now an angel of the Lord spoke to

Philip saying, Arise and go towards the south

along the road which goes down. from Jerusalem

to Gaza. This is desert. So he arose and went,

and behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great

authority under Candace, the queen of Ethiopians,

who had charge of all her treasury, and had come

to Jerusalem to worship, was returning and seated

in his chariot. He was reading Isaiah the prophet.

Then the spirit said to him, to Philip, go in

here and overtake, see. Look at the way the angel

was speaking to him. He moved in obedience. He

reached a certain place. The Spirit of God kneels

down to him. All right? Then the Spirit said

to Philip, Go near and overtake this chariot.

So Philip ran to him and heard him reading the

prophet Isaiah and said, Do you understand what

you are reading? And he said, How can I unless

someone guides me? And he asked Philip to come

up and sit with him. Hallelujah. So we see that

he understands the leading of God, which means

that he has an intimate relationship with God,

which means that he's able to know the heart

and the heartbeats of God at every time, at every

season. That should be the aspiration of every

one of us in this house. You don't need to just

be running to pastors to hear God for you. Pastors

are not native doctors. They go to consult. Hallelujah.

They are not native doctors. Some of you think

that when you come with the gifts, then there

will be clarity on your issue. No. Every man

and woman that has a spirit of God has the potential

to hear the voice of God. Hallelujah. So the

goal of our church meetings is to train us in

hearing and understanding the ways of God that

we'll know when God is speaking. We'll know when

God is leading us. We'll know the will of God

every time, every season, and we'll live in obedience

and doing the will of God. Hallelujah. So Philip

is not only, you know, trained in hearing and

knowing the voice of God. Philip also understood.

The Word of God. Because you cannot know the

voice of God without the Word of God. Hallelujah.

He didn't only know the Word of God, but he was

skilled in what? In preaching the Word of God.

It means he learned well from the apostles. Hallelujah.

It means that in the course of the teachings

on their services and their meetings, he was

there taking notes. and going over to study to

check. When he has questions, he's quick and

eager to ask questions. It means that he was

studious. He understood. See, there is a specific

doctrine that was given to the apostles. There

were no many doctrines. There was a specific

message that Jesus handed over to the apostles.

And from the apostles, we see the continuities

of that to the church and down to us. Hallelujah.

So the message of the gospel will always tell

you, And it's historical. And it's apostolic

in nature. Hallelujah. Meaning that you can trace

from Jesus' teaching to the apostles and down

to us in our generation. So if there's any distortion

along the way, you can easily know that this

is not the message of the gospel. Did Jesus teach

it? Did the apostles teach it? How about the

early church? Do we see them practice those things?

And that formulates The foundation for our own

experience is us also as Christians. Hallelujah.

So Philip understood it. In verse 35, we see

his response. From verse 34. So the Enoch answered

Philip and said, I ask you, of whom does the

prophet say this of himself or of another man?

He didn't begin to breathe about the bush. and

began to tell him stories and fairy tales. Right

from that scripture, that is a skill. And where

do we see this skill from? We can see it in Jesus'

teaching, teaching ministry. Hallelujah. We can

see that in the way the apostles also taught

the scriptures. From this scripture, he interpreted

to the Ethiopian things concerning Jesus Christ.

Then he opened his mouth, verse 35, and beginning

at this scripture, Obviously, we cannot see Jesus

here. When you read, you will not see Jesus here.

Amen? But with the understanding of the interpretation

of the books of the old, and all the things we

have written from Genesis to Malachi were concerning

Christ, were concerning the promises, were concerning

the work of God, were concerning what God will

do in Christ, Philip opened his mouth and beginning

at this scripture, preached who? He preached

Jesus to him, not Miraculous. Amen? Not leadership

because, ah, you can say this one maybe is a

political power. You know, he has political power.

Then I think the message that will feed this

man is leadership. No, no, no, no. He preached

to him, Jesus. Hallelujah. He preached to him,

Jesus. Now, as they went down the road, they

came to some water. And the Enoch says, see,

here is water. What he hinders me from being

baptized. Then Philip said, If you believe, you

see, if you believe with all your heart, you

may. And he answered, I believe that Jesus Christ

is what? That means that in the course of all

this explanation, he was able to preach Jesus

and tell him that Jesus Christ is the Son of

God who came on earth and he died for our sins.

And when we put our trust in him, we will be

saved and receive the gift of the Spirit of God.

That is the conclusion of the message. And he

said, I believe that Jesus is what? He's a son

of God. Hallelujah. So he was killed in what?

In handling the word of God because he learned

from the apostles. Amen. And of course, we see

the experience of the supernatural. Verse 39,

verse 40. And other verses we've read. Now when

they had come out of water, the spirit of the

Lord. Verse 39. Now when they have come out of

water, the spirit of the Lord. Caught Philip

away so that the Enoch saw him no more. And he

went on his way rejoicing. Who was rejoicing?

The African. He went. The African went rejoicing.

This is the first record of the gospel coming

to Africa. And it didn't come by a mighty apostle.

It came by a church member. A member of the church

that the apostles were pastoring. Hallelujah.

This was the first circle we have of Christianity

in Africa. Not the one from Europe. Not the one

from America. But this is the first time Africa

came in contact, as we can see in recorded scriptures,

that the gospel came to Africa. Hallelujah. And

today, we see how the evidence of this work,

of the work of God, even in our own lives, even

in our continent. Hallelujah. So, he experienced

the supernatural. which means that the supernatural

is for every man. The supernatural experiences

is for everyone that believe. For those who believe,

these signs shall follow them. And you believe,

so signs and wonders should follow. The miraculous

should be normal. The supernatural experiences

should be normal. There should be strange happenings

in our midst. Hallelujah. When you experience

the supernatural, it's not a strange occurrence.

It should be the normal experience of the believer.

Not once in a lifetime. Not once in a lifetime.

The supernatural experiences can be always. That

should be our normal disposition. That should

be our normal encounter and normal experiences.

Not only during catatismus. You know why many

a times you feel the move of God during Catholicism?

Because you prepared for it. Amen? You fasted.

You prepared your mind. You put away your schedules.

You adjusted yourself. You bought a brand new...

If you put your effort up to this, you must have

revelation of the word of God. You arrange your

day. Amen? And you are set ready for the supernatural

and the word of God comes and then you begin

to speak in tongues. You give word of... That

should be our normal default, brethren. Hallelujah.

Every Sunday should be a supernatural service

because we have supernatural sons and daughters

of God gathered together for a supernatural relationship,

for a supernatural fellowship. That should be

a norm in our midst. So when a believer walks

into this place, he knows that God is here. Hallelujah.

And the message is preached and healing happens

in our midst. And the unbeliever receives the

message. And the unbeliever believes in the message

of the gospel. Hallelujah. Supernatural is our

experience. And this experience should be always

in our homes, in our houses. It should be our

normal experiences. Hallelujah. Now there's another

man, Acts 9 verse 10. There's another man who

Acts 9:10

will see examples. Why are we looking at examples?

We're looking at these examples to stay us up,

to stay on faith from us. To know that if this

can happen to ordinary men, these records were

recorded for us. That we, by them, will do what?

We'll learn, alright? That faith will be stayed

in us. That these are ordinary men doing extraordinary

things. Hallelujah. And you, an ordinary man,

can do extraordinary things. Because the Spirit

of God that is in them, It's still the same Spirit

of God that lives in you today. Hallelujah. Acts

Acts 9:10

chapter 9 verse 10. Acts chapter 9 verse 10.

Acts 9:10

We see another man, a disciple, not an apostle.

In fact, this man is almost unknown in Scripture

until this particular work that he did that we

now come to know him. Now there was a certain

disciple at Damascus named Ananias. Not the Ananias

and Sapphira. Amen? Not that one. This is a different

Ananias. Now, there was a certain disciple at

Damascus named Ananias. And to him, we see, the

Bible was very clear about who he is. He is a

what? He is a disciple. Okay? They don't used

to call them church members. They used to call

them disciples. He is a disciple. He is a believer.

And to him, the Lord said in a vision, So God

can speak to anybody to do a work for him. Hallelujah.

So the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias,

and he said, here I am, Lord. So the Lord said

to him, arise and go to the street called straight

and inquire at the house of Judas for one cold

soul of Tarsus, for behold his brain. And in

a vision, he has seen a man named Ananias. So

God told Paul about Ananias in a vision. And

God spoke to Ananias in a vision about Paul.

Amen. And in a vision, he has seen a man named

Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him

so that he might receive his sight. Then Ananias

answered, look at the dialogue. This was a dialogue.

Say, Lord, I've heard from many about this man

who How this man has been terrorizing Christians.

How he has been working with Boko Haram, Al -Shabaab,

and all the terrorist organizations. How that

he has done so much harm to the saints in Jerusalem.

And here he has authority from the chief priest

to ban all who call on your name. But the Lord

said to him, Go for he is a chosen vessel of

mine to bear my name before Gentiles. kings and

the children of Israel. For I will show him how

many things he must suffer for my sake. And Ananias

went his way. See, Ananias did not even argue.

Right? He knows with certainty this is the work

of God. This is the will of God. This is the

word of God. He understands that this is the

word of God. You understand that this is what

God wants. See, this must be a man that understands

the ways of God. This must be a man that has

been working intimately with God. Hallelujah.

And he is not among the apostles. He is a certain

disciple. Like you, like I, like any other person

in this place. Like any other person. He enjoyed

the supernatural. He enjoyed a supernatural walk

with God. In his dialogue, in his conversation,

we can see that he's a man that understands the

works of God. He walked with God. He communed

with God. He has a fellowship with God. And we

see how God used Ananias, a disciple, to minister

to Paul's needs. The great apostle Paul. He was

not apostle Peter or apostle John or any of the

big apostles, but a certain disciple. Hallelujah.

So you're not too small for what God will do

or for what God is doing. Hallelujah. You're

not too small for what God is about to do in

this generation or what he's doing in this generation.

Hallelujah. So why do we find it so difficult

or impossible to manifest the Spirit and the

giftings, the signs and wonders and the miraculous?

Have you asked yourself? Why do we find ourselves

not having similar experiences? Is it that the

Spirit of God has changed his mind concerning

his work in men? Is it that God is no longer

working? Some people concluded that the Spirit

has ceased to function this way. That God only

operated for a certain time, then now is no longer

the time for that operation, for those kind of

operations. As though unbelievers have changed.

As though unbelief has changed, has been reformed.

Do you know that the unbelief of today is more

even difficult than unbelief of before? Technology

has come to suffocate the unbelief of today.

Traveling from one place to another has affected

the unbelief of today. People have exported all

kinds of lifestyle from one. The world has become

a global place. So also wickedness has been globalized.

So if these men will need the help of the Spirit

of God, the demonstration of the Spirit of God,

the demonstration of the power of God in order

to reach their generation, we need that even

more in our generation. Hallelujah. Because the

enemy has become more crafty. He has become more

sophisticated. with information, with knowledge,

and men have become more empowered to do evil.

So we also that must confront our own generation

must rely on the sophistication of the Spirit

of God to reach our own generation. Walkings

of the Spirit or the demonstration of the Spirit

is non -negotiable for the believer of today.

Hallelujah. It's non -negotiable. Through the

level of technological advancement, artificial

intelligence. Brother, if you don't have the

spirit of God, you consult AI. Amen? AI will

become your Lord and Savior. So why do we find

it difficult? Because God is same yesterday.

Is it easy? Same today. And forever. And we have

the same access to the kingdom of God as these

disciples had in the book of Acts. Why don't

we see this manifestation through our lives?

The reason is simple. Because we are often carnally

minded. And we are not working in the spirit.

We are preoccupied with carnal things. Carnal

in the sense that we are preoccupied. by physical

things. The world has been arranged in such a

way that enables us to focus on physical and

material things. So we negate the spirituality

of our identity. Even our spirituality has been

tailored into material things. So when we come

to church, the only thing we are thinking is

material things. So, The carnal man of today

is in church. And his carnality has been rebranded

into spirituality. That even his prayer, if you

pray for one hour, 90 % of what you pray for

is his carnal needs. A new job, a new house,

a new car. You know, my education. Now, we're

not saying these things are wrong or these things

are bad. But a man that will manifest the kingdom

of God. must be different. Because you know what?

The Bible says that even the hidden, God knows

that even the hidden, what do they do? They need

these things, right? God knows that you need

them as the hidden do. So we cannot be worried

and moving on about these things. Hallelujah.

So, in Galatians 5 verse 6, Paul would tell the

Galatians 5:6

Galatians to us. To walk in the spirit. I hope

I have some time, yes. Galatians chapter 5 verse

Galatians 5:16

16. Galatians chapter 5 verse 16 to 18. I say

Galatians 5:16–18

then, walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill

the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against

it. things of the spirit against the spirit and

the spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary

to one another. You see, the reason why the believer

of today is finding it difficult to manifest

is because the flesh and the spirit cannot coexist.

There cannot be two influences in your life.

It's either you are influenced by the spirit

of God or you are influenced by the flesh. But

one thing we want to do is I want to do the flesh.

I want to do the Spirit. I want to manifest God.

It's not possible. It's impossible. These are

contrary to one another so that you do not do

the things that you so desire to do. What are

the things you so desire to do? The things of

the Spirit. Hallelujah. You so desire to do the

things of the Spirit. But if you are led by the

Spirit, you are not under the law. All right?

The word work in verse 16, the word work is a

word peripatio. From the Greek, peripatio, P

-E -R -I -P -A -T -O. P -E -R -I -P -A -T -O.

It means, in this context, it means to regulate

one's life or conduct oneself. So what he is

saying is that we should regulate our lives and

we should conduct ourselves by the Spirit. That

is, we should allow the Spirit to regulate and

conduct our life. That is to say, let the Spirit

inspire your living on the earth. And how will

we know that the Spirit of God influences your

living on the earth? It's by your conduct. For

instance, The Spirit cannot lead you to do something

that will harm your brother or your sister. So

when we see you harming your brother, we know

that this one is not by the Spirit of God. Hallelujah.

So our lives must be regulated, must be led by

the Spirit of God. And then verse 16 and 17 shows

two contradicting influences over a man's life.

The Spirit And the flesh. Hallelujah. Two contradicting

influences. The spirit and what? And the flesh.

Now, when we talk about the flesh, we're not

talking about your physical body. Alright? The

word flesh here is the word sarx from the Greek.

Sarx. S -A -R -X. S -A -R -X. And this word can

mean two things. First, It can mean the physical

body of a man, all right? And it can also mean

a spiritual nature. So contextually, in this

verse, it is not referring to your physical body.

Your physical body is not anti -God. You hear

what I'm saying? Your physical body is not anti

-God because God wants your physical body to

manifest on earth. Hallelujah. So your physical

body is not in opposition to the spirit of God.

So, but then there is an influence we call the

flesh. The flesh in this context does not mean

your physical body. It refers to a spiritual

nature. A nature that is spiritual. Because the

spirit and flesh are two forces that influences

the life of the man. Alright? It is the nature

without the influence of God. Flesh is a nature

of the influence of God. It is also called the

world. Right? It is also called the world. Or

you can say worldliness. It is also called the

carnal nature. It is also called the sinful nature.

Sinful nature. Some translation you see to use

the oiled nature. Some translations will use

the word sinful mind or evil nature. Hallelujah.

So there are two influences. The carnal, or what

we call the flesh, the old man, sinful nature,

and also what? The spirit of God. So flesh refers

to the thinking pattern. Flesh, first of all,

is an ideology. It refers to the thinking pattern.

That is, it is ideological but spiritual. Or

let me say it is spiritual but ideological. Because

it is in the mind of man. Alright? Different

from what is of God. It is a mind that thinks

independently of God. That the influence is not

of God, but it's of this world. This nature is

in enmity against God. That for a man to think

or to live independent of God is living in the

flesh, is living under the control and influence

of the flesh. And this nature called the flesh,

the human nature or the sinful nature is actually

in opposition or in enmity with God. Romans 8,

Romans 8:7

verse 7 talks about that kind of life. Romans

Romans 8:7–8

8, verse 7 to 8. Because the carnal mind, what

is the carnal mind? That is the flesh, the sinful

nature there. The carnal mind is enmity against

God. What does it do? It does not subject to

the law of God. That is the law of the spirit.

That is, it does not subject to the spirit of

God. That means that it is not influenced by

the spirit of God. It cannot be. Hallelujah.

Was it? So then, those who are in the flesh,

those who are in the flesh cannot do what? Cannot

please God. Those who are in the flesh cannot

please God. Hallelujah. So, the mindset is influenced

not by God. The thoughts, you know, our brother

read to us in 2 Corinthians chapter, is it chapter

10? Is it chapter 10 you read from? That talks

about the weapon, right? Let me check. Help me.

10 .5, right? I remember. 10 .5. 10 .4. Is it

1 Corinthians? Aha. Because I'm seeing something

here. 2 Corinthians 10. When he was leading us

to pray. 2 Corinthians 10. Verse 4. It says,

for the weapons. No, look at verse 3. Say, for

though we walk in the flesh. Right? We walk in

the physical, this flesh, the first flesh here,

is we walk in the physical body. We do no war

according to the flesh. For the weapons of our

warfare are not what? Are not in the flesh, are

not carnal, but mighty in God for what? For pulling

down of what? Of strongholds. Casting down what?

Arguments. Now, this is the flesh. Arguments.

thoughts, arguments, thoughts, impressions, and

every high thing that exalts itself against the

word, the knowledge of God, and bringing thoughts,

every thought into captivity to the word, through

obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish

all disobedience when obedience is fulfilled.

Hallelujah. So, It's a life influence. The thought

is influenced by, you know, this nature. You

know, whenever you see people think cooperatively,

right? Whenever you see people have a certain

manner of life, they carve for themselves a certain

ideology, a certain mannerism, united in an ideology,

there's always a spirit involved. I can tell

you that some of the philosophies and some of

the ideologies we study in school, they are actually

spiritual ideologies. Because for you to see

men come together, having the same mind, the

same thoughts, I can tell you that the spirit

is involved in that organization. Remember those

men that gathered that they want to build an

altar, a tower. Do you think that they just sat

down and then thought that they just want to

go against God? There is a spirit that would

that's involved in that union. Hallelujah. Please,

let's have attention here. Okay? So, we must

beware that there is a thought pattern that sponsors

the things we see around and about us. Some movements

we see around are not just political. And we

as believers must be careful before we join things

that we don't know. You go to an organization

and they have certain beliefs. Oh, we are here.

Some of those beliefs, they put them under this,

you know, they look good. You know, it's anti

-racism, for example. They call them in this

way, you know, or women's rights, you know. equity

and inclusion. Or the one that I've been studying

recently is about environmental, what do they

call it? Protection and sustainability. And we've

written a lot of academic work in this sphere.

But in the core of those ideologies, there's

a spirit sponsoring it. Because oftentimes, it

brings an ideology and a thought pattern that

seems to exalt the self above God. So we, as

we study, we open our eyes. We know that this

is of God. This is not of God. And we know the

extent and the limits to which we can go as believers.

Hallelujah. But unfortunately, some believers

have become activists, pursuing and propagating

these ideologies, even without knowing the origin

and root of those ideologies. He raised up your

hand, he said, black lives matter. Do you know

the root? Do you know the ideology? Do you know

the drive of that philosophy? Before you say,

I'm an activist for this, make sure that it is

the Spirit of God that is inspiring your activism.

Hallelujah. So that we can live our lives effectively

and not just trying to follow trends because

we want to be trends in this world. Hallelujah.

So the manifestation of the flesh is plain and

obvious. The scripture is not hidden concerning

the manifestation. Galatians 5, verse 19 to 21.

Galatians 5:19–21

Galatians 5, 19. Now the works of the flesh are

what? They are evident. It means that if you

see flesh in manifestation, you will know. It

means that if we enter this hall and we see somebody

behaving, Pastor Victor will say that he has

been going somewhere. Now this action, the way

you see this sister is dressing like this, the

way you see this brother is dressing like this,

he has been going somewhere. And it's true. You

copy it somewhere. Everybody is a product of

influence. Hallelujah. Everybody is a product

of influence, good or bad. So, when we see, we

know, wherever we know the source, we know where

this behavior is coming from. We know where this

ideology is coming from. When you talk, we know

the inspiration of your speech. Whether it's

of God or it's of the flesh or it's of the world.

So, the works of the flesh are evident. The goodness

says they are plain. They are not hidden. Some

translations will say they are clear to see with

the eyes. How do we know the manifestation of

the flesh? First, in adultery, sexual immorality.

That is the first display we see, at least given

to us, right? Fornication. adultery, okay? Can

you give me this text in NLT? Do you have NLT?

Yes. When you follow the desires of your sinful

nature, I don't like the way they say your sinful

nature. When you follow the desires, they should

have just put, if you follow the desires of the

sinful nature, okay? The results are very clear.

Say the sinful nature is not my nature. But I

can follow it if I want to. Yes. It's not your

nature. We'll see it subsequently. When you follow

the desires of the sinful nature, the results

are what? They are very clear. We'll see what

is manifesting in your life. And some of you

are here, oh, you begin to see this list. You

begin to see yourself in the list. Sexual immorality.

All right? And you are in church. You are speaking

in tongues. Impurity. You are going out for evangelism.

You are lusting. It's lustful pleasure. The next

verse. Idolatry. Okay? Sorcery. You know, they

say they digitalize sorcery and idolatry. They

call it horoscope, right? They call it, they

say, what is your star? They used to call it

zodiac, whatever. You're a believer, you're looking

for zodiac sign. And you think it's a trend.

You don't know that that is for them. It's real

for them. And you think it's a trend. For you,

the believer, your zodiac sign is Christ. Do

you understand? Your nature cannot come from

any moon or from the stars. Your nature is in

Christ. How can a believer be looking for somebody

to read him here in this place? They read him

a cup of coffee, right? Yes, they do it here.

Somebody will take coffee and then they... They

turn it and they'll read to you like they tell

you all the things. And some who can read from

your palm. That is witchcraft. That is a manifestation

of what? Of a life outside Christ. Quarreling.

This one is familiar, right? It's here. It's

not supposed to be here. But it can be here.

Hostility. Jealousy. Alright? You know me, I

have this. We see it in our blood. In our family,

we have anger. It's in our blood. You know, we

can easily get angry. When my father get angry,

I took it from my father. Of course, you are

influenced by what you see around you. Outbursts

of anger. Selfish ambition. What motivates your

ambition? Is it self? Selfishness. Distinctions.

When you are in thought, you are in guru. But

any group, any team you enter, you cause division.

You leave media, you enter evangelism, you cause

division. Why is it every time you enter there

must be a problem? And you think everybody is

bad. You are the one that is operating with another

ideology. It's an influence that you are attending

to that is manifesting the result that we see.

Next verse. Envy. Alright? And drunkenness. And

then you like going to parties, wild parties,

parties that does not align with the purpose

of God. Somebody will tell you that when his

mind is too occupied, he goes to cloud nine to

calm down himself. That's his own fun. That is

his own way of recreation. The believer's recreation

is in the spirit. Hallelujah. We are spiritual

beings. Amen. And ETC, right? Other things like

this. There are many. The Bible is not for this

list. So they just put an like like this. Let

me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone

living that sort of life will not inherit the

kingdom of God. Hallelujah. That is a big issue.

So it is impossible for you, a believer, to see

this manifested in your conduct as a believer.

You are living in immorality and all sorts of

things and then hope that you will manifest effectively.

It's impossible. It is practically impossible

to live under the influence of the flesh and

manifest. It's impossible. These two cannot work.

You cannot effectively manifest the kingdom of

God while under the influence of the flesh. It

is what? It is impossible. The Corinthian church

is a practical example for us, right? Practical

example, 1 Corinthians 1 verse 4. 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 1:4 1 Corinthians 1:4

1 verse 4. We see that this is a church that

have experienced the mighty power of God. I thank

my God always. concerning you for the grace of

God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that

you were enriched in what? In everything by him,

in all assurance and all knowledge. Even as the

testimony of Christ was confirmed in you. So

these are believers. So that you come short in

what? In no ritual, in no gift. eagerly waiting

for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So these men are born again, and the Bible says

that they lack in no gifts. This is an entire

church that lacks in no gifts. Now, let's see

their lifestyle. Move to verse 10, same chapter.

Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of

our Lord Jesus Christ. That you all speak the

same thing, which means that there's division

in these thoughts. The Spirit of God is not the

author of division. That you speak the same thing

and that there is no division among you, but

that you be perfectly joined together in the

same mind and the same judgment. For it has been

declared to me concerning you, my brethren, you

call them brethren, by those of class household,

that there are contentions among you. Though

this looks like the list we read earlier on,

that there's contentiousness among them. All

right? Now let's move to chapter 3, verse 1 to

4. Chapter 3, verse 1 to 4. If your Bible is

like my own, the topic they wrote there, the

people that printed this Bible. They wrote the

topic, they say, sectarianism is canon. Verse

1. And I, brethren, could not speak to you as

to spiritual people. Are they spiritual people?

Are they spiritual people? Yes. All right. They

are spiritual. What makes them spiritual? Because

they are born again. So it means that a born

again Christian, you know, this is not a good

sentence, right? A born again Christian can live

in sin. That's what we're trying to say. Okay?

A born again Christian can live in sin and it's

not the will of God for you. It means that you

cannot experience, you cannot manifest the power

of God. Hallelujah. It doesn't mean that the

power of God is not there, but you cannot bring

it out because you are influenced by another

force that is outside you. And I, brethren, could

not speak to you as preachers. But as to carnal,

are they carnal? They are not carnal. But he's

referring to them as carnal because of their

conduct. As to babes in Christ, I fed you with

milk and not with solid food, for until now you

were not able to receive it. And even now you

are still not able, for you are still carnal.

That is not Paul speaking in alignment to what

the identity is. But he's, speaking based on

their conduct. For where there are envy, strife,

divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving

like ordinary men? For when one says, I am for

Paul, another, I am Apollos, are you not all

carnal? Chapter 5, verse 1. Chapter 5, verse

1. Chapter 5. Verse 1. It is actually reported

that there is a sexual immorality among you and

such sexual immorality that even sinners or unbelievers

cannot do. And what is it? That a man will sleep

with his father's wife. Imagine this kind of

thing and he's in the church. and you are puffed

up, and have not rather mourned that he who has

done this deed might be taken away from among

you. For I indeed, as absent in the body, but

present in the spirit, have already judged, as

though I were present with him who has so done

this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

when you gather, when you come together, together,

Allow with my spirit, with the power of our Lord

Jesus Christ, deliver such one to opposition

for the destruction of the flesh. What flesh?

Okay. That his spirit may be saved in the day

of the Lord Jesus Christ. Your glory is not good.

Do you not know that a little leaven leavens

a whole lump? Therefore, pour out the whole leaven

that you may be a new lump. This is a parable

he's speaking here. that you may be a new lamp,

since you truly are unleavened, for indeed Christ

our Passover was sacrificed for us. Therefore

let the feast not with all leaven, nor with the

leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the

unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I wrote

to you in my epistle not to keep company, look

at this, not to keep company with the sexually

immoral people, Yet, I certainly did not mean

with the sexually immoral people of this world

or with the covetous or extortioners or idolaters

since you will need to go out of the world. But

now I have written to you not to keep company

with anyone, name what? Let's read verse 11 together.

Let's look up. Let's read verse 11 together.

Is it up? One, two, go. But now I have written

to you not to keep company. Would anyone name

a brother, put over a sister, who is sexually

immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler,

or a drunkard, or an extortioner, not even to

eat with such a person? This is your Bible. If

it's not in your Bible, then your Bible has been

rebranded. For we have, for what I have to do,

okay, rather, For what have I to do with judging

those who are outside? Do you not judge those

who are inside? But those who are outside, God

judges. Therefore, put away from yourself the

word, that evil person. Hallelujah. So, you see,

this and the things we will continue on Sunday.

But I want you to understand, right? That there

is an influence that we can give ourselves to.

that will limit us. And let me tell you, we'll

see one day how this kind of lifestyle influences

us. And we'll see what God has done to this lifestyle.

Hallelujah. So can we open our mouth and begin

to pray? I don't know how much of God's word

you've seen with your eyes, but I want you to

pray for yourself. We appreciate you being here

today. We hope you carry this word with you throughout

your week. Don't forget to check the show notes

for additional insights. Stay connected with

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media. If you are encouraged, share this message

with someone you care about. Until next time,

stay blessed.