SERMON TITLE: FOUNDATION OF THE CALL AND THE FAITH OF GOD

.
SYNOPSIS
Jesus recommends a total separation from the world order. This is so not just
because the world does not believe and will not honor him, but primarily
because the world order is of darkness and death.

.
Transcript
If your religion is only for food, shelter, and clothing, then you are
practicing paganism because that’s what the pagans yearn for according to
Jesus in sermon on the Mount. But there’s something more, there’s Christ,
there’s growth in him, there’s knowledge of him, there’s walking with him,
there’s walking with the Holy Spirit, there’s waiting on him, there’s the
prophetic voice, there’s the sense of how God is directing me. If I speak,
what is the Lord telling me? What do I do? What is his will for my life?
God, how can I express you among the men? 30 days counseling on
marriage, there’s nothing wrong. If there’s no peace at home, how can you
have peace in the office? When you come to church, your mind is far, you
begin to remember how you fought before you came, so the worship leader
brings a lot of praise but your mind somewhere else, my wife’s problems. I
know this is a problem but that is not it. You should be able to come out of
that and seek and press on for Jesus Christ. There are lessons we learn from
separation from the world, number two, conversion in the heart and number
three, total separation onto Jesus Christ. This is another area which is very
problematic in the church. Many Christians and many churches have no
knowledge of Christ and there’s no attempt to present Jesus Christ, to know
him, and to really have a deep connection with Christ. Yes, we preach about
Christ. We take lessons about Christ. What Jesus did or did not do but Christ
himself, no. The Bible is ideas, but not for Christ, so many churches, or
rather some churches, have lost connection with Christ. I’m saying this
because of an encounter with my Lord. Many people in the church do not
know Christ but they hear about him. They accept Jesus Christ as Savior and
Lord. Somebody would tell me, brother, when the people come, they accept
Christ in the church. I say yes. After accepting Christ, what next? When the
evangelist is preaching and the pastor is preaching, that for your business to

succeed, for your marriage to be all right you need to accept Jesus as your
Savior. After the person accepts Jesus as Savior and Lord. What next? He’s
never taken to Jesus again. Where is he taken to? The business markets. The
accepting of Christ is only a formality. Some may accept Christ but beyond
that day of, like the old system of baptism, when the children were baptized,
there’s nothing beyond the immersion in the water. I’m baptized, because
there’s no more preaching and teaching about Jesus, to grow in him, to know
him, to press on. No. The whole thing from January to December is the
business, the marriage except Christ. You can be sure that the pastor never
had a word from Christ. He may have a word from books he’s reading and
some preachers he has heard, but Sunday morning he has no word from
Christ. He only takes anything in the Bible, and he gives it a twist because
the Holy Spirit is no more there.
I want to thank God for you. I’m saying this from experience, not in my life,
but my encounter with the Lord. This is how Jesus Christ described the
position, the order and state of affairs of the people called, sent by God and
preserved for himself. I’m referring to John 17: 14 to 17. “I have given them
your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world,
just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that you should take them out of
the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one. They are not of
the world, just as I am not of the world, sanctify then by your truth. Your
word is true. Separation from the world is a dynamic proposition. It’s a thing
that must be real and it is not surprising when the world hates you because
you are preaching Christ. In fact, the more you want to preach Christ, the
more the world will hate you unless they come into understanding about
whom you are talking about. If you want the world to receive you and praise
you, you will preach something other than Christ because you will never
present Christ for them. Jesus recommends a total separation from the world
order. This is so not just because the world does not believe and will not
honor him, but primarily because the world order is of darkness and death
and therefore, it lies in the kingdom of Satan, fallen man and under the
control of Satan. The world order is an order of darkness and death under the
control of fallen man and ultimate direction of Satan so when you press on
to succeed in the world order, you are only re -echoing the fallen nature. I
was telling my brother, he’s a scientist. I said, “You are a scientist. All the
learning in the universities and everywhere will solve problems, human
problems, that’s all. If I’m only reading the scripture to solve human

problems, the scientists are doing that, but I have received the Bible to go
beyond ordinary solution of problems. To live a life of a higher order, to live
in Heavenly terms so these problems are no more the things that will hook
me. I can easily stamp over them and fly above. I can stand in the midst of
confusion, and I will raise my hands up and worship God. I can stand among
sinners, and they shall not touch me because my soul is preserved in Jesus
Christ. I can do all things. My business shall fall, and everybody shall go
against me, but I shall never turn my back on Jesus Christ. I am pressing on
in that circumstance and I will not say Christ has failed me because in that
circumstance rather I see the glory of God rather appearing to me. I press on
towards the mark of the high calling, but it depends.
Beloved in Jesus Christ, I want to pray with you that we should know that
we have been called by God and we have been separated from the fallen
world. We have been brought into a new life. In this new life, we have the
life of the cross. The life of the cross-means separation, rejection, hatred,
suffering, and even death. The new life means holiness unto God. I’m not
talking about cleanliness. I’m talking about your soul and your spirit
separated unto God and completely committed to Him in Christ. I’m talking
about faithfulness to Christ. This is the mark of a true and faithful disciple.
The mark of a true and faithful disciple or saint is not in possessions; it is in
his inside being and connection with Jesus Christ and how he portrays Christ
in his conduct. The disciples of Christ, the people of God are expected to
always be where Jesus Christ is. I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one
comes to the Father. I go to prepare a place where I am, there my servants
shall be. Jesus is seated at the right -hand side of the Father and we shall like
to walk in heavenly places but what does he think about worldly things?
What is Christ saying about the events in our country? Have we sought him
to find out what he says? Or are we reading our guidance from newspapers
and commentaries from people who have been hired to say things to please
their masters? Who is your master, by the way? And the views that you
express are they from the one on the throne in heaven to whom you are
connected and to whom you belong? Or do you share in the goodies of the
world? The disciples of Christ, the people of God, are expected to be always
where Christ is. There has arisen a mixture of clay and stone, clay and iron,
light and darkness and even in some cases, one would dare say, total
darkness in the church seen today. There are some churches you go, and you
never see and never experience Christ. Everything is taking place, and

there’s a lot of noise, but there’s no Christ. You can sit in the crowd, and
there’s no feeling, there’s no presence of God, there’s no reality of Christ but
there’s a lot of people and a lot of noise. You can see a lot of faces, beautiful
and not so beautiful, well clad and not so well clad, but all are in darkness,
including the apostle, it is a shame. This is where the Lord spoke a lot about
his second coming and a way to bring the church back to the foundations.
The workings of God, the worship of God has become a public show of
worldly ways, worldly thoughts, human glory, and satanic deception so
when you go to the church, there’s no difference between the church scene
and a special party at Labadi Pleasure Beach. When the head of state calls a
dinner at Pleasure Beach, it would be better than the one in the church
because they will conduct themselves. They will honor the presence of the
president and if the diplomats want to drink, they put their alcohol in their
glass and they keep it in a certain way, so you don’t know how much drink is
in it and even if he has finished drinking, you won’t know. He doesn’t want
you to know if he’s not drinking or he’s drinking. You don’t see it but he’s
chatting with you. Hypocrisy to the highest amount. Well-dressed gentleman
and whilst he’s standing there, his eyes are somewhere else making contact,
but they are well -dressed and the behavior there is very humanly
commendable, well -ordered. The women are well clad, the speaking is
whispers, and there’s not too much noise. I’m talking about this class of
guests is better than the sanctuary of some places. I’m talking about the
presence of God. We charismatics say, make a joyful noise. All the clinging
and the clanging, and the blind Jesus was awakened from sleep. There’s no
sense of the holiness of God or of the sanctuary. It’s a showplace so they
dress anyhow, talk any language, dance any dance, speak any speak, do it to
make yourself and your friends happy. Meet me after the show. This is
another version of the church. There’s what we call the high church. If you
go to England, the Anglicans have the high church, the sanctimonious
catholic traditions that have been kept intact without any adulterations. That
is the high church. Then there’s the evangelical and the others who have
changed the Catholic system a little bit. I’m talking about the high church.
I’m talking about those who go to the president’s party in Buckingham
Palace, the queen’s party in Buckingham Palace, and transfer it to the church
and I’m also talking about those of us who go to the football field with
slippers and shout in the church. God is a merciful Father.

This brings us finally to the faith of God. In our introduction, we stated that
the foundation of the faith of the called out is the teachings, declarations,
works, and lives of the apostles, prophets, and Jesus Christ Himself. From
the Old Testament, we have the law and the prophets. From Jesus Christ, we
have grace and truth and from the apostles, we have the cross, the doctrines,
the Holy Spirit, His counsel, His wisdom, His works, His ministry, and
walking with Him in life and service. Experience has shown that the heritage
of the faith of God does not consist merely in subscriptions to statements or
beliefs, Creed, (I believe in God, the Father and the holy catholic church)
that’s not the faith, or doctrines or faith, ideas or some set of theology or
doctrinal statements. I’m a Calvinist, I am a reformist, I am a Pentecostal.
I’m an evangelical, I am a charismatic. These are all doctrinal statements and
stands and this is not the fullness of the faith. It is not a philosophical
proposition. The faith of God, for the people of God called unto God, is a
new life found, determined, based, expressed in trust in God through faith in
Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Scriptures in its totality or entirety that
is the total gospel. I’m saying that the faith we live now is a life depending,
found in God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Scriptures. It’s life. It is
not just a kind of tenet or statement of faith that you find in ministries. We
agree, we do not disagree with them, but that’s not enough faith. That is to
say the faith of God is a spiritual state of existence and life, bound with
dependence upon a fellowship of God, a creator. The faith that we have now
come into, since we have been called unto God, is now a spiritual state of
existence. It’s not just in doctrines or statements, but where do you abide?
Where are you in the Spirit? This life of state of existence is found in the
sanctification by the word of truth of the Scriptures. The preservation in
Jesus Christ as we said, and the living, working, and walking in the
knowledge, love and fear of God, and clear fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
This new life of the children or people of God does not only imply
restoration of the original man and God fellowship in the Garden of Eden. In
the Garden of Eden, God visited man, and they had a nice fellowship. When
he was separated and taken out of the garden, this ceased. When we come to
God and we are called unto him, this fellowship is restored. That’s why the
scripture; the prophetic ministry and Christianity is a fellowship with God.
The fellowship is restored, and, in the fellowship, the restoration is the
restoration of dependence on God and walking with him. A connection with
God in the spirit of dependence. This was what Adam and Eve didn’t want in

the Garden, and they were rejected but we have a restoration in this, and this
restoration is giving testimony to the new birth in the abundant life and
heavenly existence of the second Adam. Jesus expounded this when he
spoke in John 3: 3 to 8, you must be born again, in John chapter 10:1 to 10
of the abundant life and Ephesians 1: 2 to 6 of our protestations and living in
heavenly places.
Discipleship and service. Beloved, the Christian calling onto disciples of
Christ and the service of God is no more than an extension of the general
call of God of his people onto higher realms and ground of living and life.
The Lord, according to the scriptures, has made us all priests and kings,
priests to minister to him and his people, to convey his love and compassion
and salvation in the world, and kings to join him in reigning and ruling of
the world or the earth. The faith of God and heavenly existence is incumbent
therefore, on all of us but this becomes more obligatory and in fact the only
basis of life and ministry by those of the fivefold ministry, Ephesians 4:8 to
16. No one can be an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher who is
not born again, who is not baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit, who is
not walking and working in close fellowship and collaboration with the Holy
Spirit. Luke 2: 24- 49, Acts 1:8. The minister of God is a personal and direct
representative of a living evidence of Jesus Christ. I won’t say just
ambassador, representative of the living testimony of Jesus Christ again in
the world. He is the evidence that Christ is and is ever living. Jesus gives a
hint of this in his own personal walk in John 14: 6 to 7. Philip said, show us
the Father. He said, Philip, I have been with you all these years and you
don’t know me? You’re asking me to show you the father? If you see me,
you have seen the Father so we the ministers should be able to say, if you
see me, you have seen Jesus Christ. If I’m talking to a child of God, I’m
ministering to him, I’m preaching and I’m counseling, he must have a
witness within his spirit that Christ is in me. There must be confirmation
between me and him since he’s born again and Christ is in him, there must
be a connection, a confirmation that the one who is speaking to him has
Christ and he’s not just giving me a set of ideas that he has learned, but he’s
pouring his Christ into me and I’m receiving it so when you leave his
presence, you know that you have been in the presence of God. It is not
display of knowledge or human wisdom, but Christ in his humility, in his
wisdom, in his counsel, in his power, in his deliberation and his authority.
The child of God, above all the minister of Christ must have these

credentials. It is a reality. When a man of God is preaching and he’s filled
with the Holy Ghost, you can tell and when he’s speaking his mind, you can
also tell as long as you yourself have Christ in you. If you see me, you have
seen the father. If you see me, you have seen Jesus Christ. Paul said, “We
the ministers, and you all, should press on toward that mark. Paul confirmed
in 1 Corinthians 2 that our preaching is not according to the wisdom of man
but the demonstration of the spirit and of God. Beloved, the world by
wisdom, human spirit, power, and knowledge has not and cannot find God,
much more walk in heavenly times. How sad then that men, so -called
ministers, have found, launched themselves in and are drawing followers
after themselves in their knowledge and power of man, the wisdom and
counsel of the world, the mixture of biblical truth and the philosophies of
men and the wisdom of men in the world. This has found a place in the
church, but this is not the food and reality of those called by God.
In conclusion, therefore, the call and favor of God is a deliberate, conscious,
and worked -out system, ordained, ministered, and personally supervised by
God, Ephesians 2: 8 to 10, 2 Timothy 3: 14 to 17, 1 Peter 1: 22 to 25. It calls
for deep and effectual connection with Jesus Christ, meaningful association
with the Holy Spirit and knowledge and understanding of the scriptures if
you are called by God. While it opens the door of restoration of glory to
fallen man, it opens yet a higher door of spirit nature, even the divine nature
and heavenly existence and performance for the called -out ones. The called -out ones, in this respect, not only constitute a new breed of spirit beings
after Jesus Christ, the children or people of God, they are also sent out once
to the world to deliver, to redeem, and to change the old-world order unto
conformity with the heavenly order. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on
earth as it is in heaven. The church must of needs catch a clear vision of the
sanctification and preservation in Jesus Christ. The empowerment and
restoration of glory in the power of the Holy Spirit and the new life in the
fullness of the divine nature open to all and the social order ordained in the
scriptures. Our special significance in this wise, is the ministry, work and
life of those called into the five -fold ministry to represent Christ in the
church and in the world or to the world. The church must revisit the
foundation of the call and the faith of God, ensuring that the message, works
and order, proclaimed and prescribed by the church, is seen and found to be
totally separated from the world order. This is the way of peace, truth, and

life, even the abundant and eternal life. Tomorrow we will discuss the
abundant life.
God bless you.