SERMON INSIGHTS

 The Crisis of the Human Race and the Church

Beloved, the human race is facing a crisis. There are wars, instability, and hopelessness. After 2,000 years of demonstrated love, redemptive power, and the resurrection spirit, where we should have had Christians springing forth in glory, the Church herself is bewildered and confused.

Obedience is a luxury to obey God who has already completed the fullness of redemption but within the Church, the highest pinnacles of human enterprise are tempted to turn the Church into a human institution instead of a heavenly enterprise. Today the trumpet shall sound once again, inviting human beings to the end call and the appearance of Jesus Christ.

Even to present the Gospel for which Christ shed his blood has become a battlefield. To preach Christ to the Church today is like a taboo. There is no human institution or empire that has been able to build a formidable institution like the Church, yet at this hour, the Church is fighting whether Christ is the redeemer and if the Holy Spirit is the only one needed to celebrate divine redemption.

The Invitation to the Trinity

Beloved, we are not inviting you to an organization. We are not inviting you to the Christian Council of Ghana, the Council of Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches, the Catholic Church, or any other church group. We are inviting you to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. That is the certification and accreditation we shall receive.

In the Garden of Eden, God asked, “Adam, where are you?”. In the confusion of our times, He asks, “Church, where are you?”. We must discuss what essentially makes the Church the church.

The Holy Spirit in Creation and Origin

There is a distinction between church mission and ministry. Jesus told the Church not to go out to do anything until they were endued with the presence and sanctifying fire of the Holy Spirit.

In the beginning, the Holy Spirit was hovering over all things even before the concept of “let there be light”. Before God said “let there be,” the “be” was non-existent; the only person witnessing the process of the emergence of “be” was the Holy Spirit. If there “be,” it is because there was somebody who can say “let there be,” and that is the Word.

The sun, moon, and stars were not the first things to appear; light was, which was the introduction of the power behind the “be”, the Word. The Spirit witnessed everything. It is sad that people are worshipping the moon, stars, and sun, groping in darkness. This reflects the state of the Church today: having rejected Jesus, confused about the Holy Spirit, and confused about the truth.

The Confusion of the Supernatural

Today, Some Churches preaches that all faiths and religions are of God, which is a denunciation of Jesus Christ. Where there is confusion as to the truth, it is because the Holy Spirit has been rejected. One of the expressions you find in the Church today is “supernatural”. But Satan can bring supernatural demonstrations. If anything supernatural is considered “of God,” then occult and spirit powers are being accepted.

The Pattern of Jesus: Baptism and Spirit

Jesus himself needed to be baptized by the Father before going into ministry. The Father sent the Holy Spirit to descend and dwell upon Him. Jesus knew he was not allowed to minister on his own strength; he needed the companionship of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, Jesus told the Church they must pass the way the Father established.

When the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, the first thing Peter did was testify of Jesus Christ. It was not Peter who formed the Church; Jesus said, “I will build my church”. If there is any group calling itself a church, its single identity must be Jesus Christ. If you are not properly hooked onto Jesus Christ, even with signs and tongues, another spirit can take over.

The Requirements: Born Again and Spirit Baptized

There are two critical things. First, Jesus said except a man is born again, he cannot enter the Kingdom. You must denounce your old Adam nature. Second, for the sake of ministry and outreach, you must be baptized by the Holy Spirit.

Note that Jesus is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not baptize; Jesus does.

If you are born again but not baptized by the Holy Spirit, you cannot enter into full church ministry. If you have a gathering of “Holy Spirit baptism” but no proper connection with Jesus, the group has no name and any spirit can tangle with it.

We have problems with people breaking from ministries to form their own because they can prophesy or lay hands. They gather people and give them names only to gather more money. This franchise cannot be of God because the Church is formed by Jesus Christ. How can you put Jesus to shame after his agony on Calvary by standing in a corner to gather people for money?

A Spiritual Movement

The coming of the Holy Spirit turns the whole enterprise into a spiritual movement. It ceases to be about study or human strength. Paul said his preaching was not with the wisdom of the world, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and power.

When you are baptized by the Holy Spirit, the journey starts. Do not compete and compare results with others. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, and his main task is to help us witness of Jesus. It is not the “anointing” that confirms we belong to Jesus; it is walking in the path Jesus set. The Church is not just an organization to raise funds; it is about spiritual identity and leading everyone to the fullness of the stature of Christ.

Conclusion and Call to Decision

Personal ministry is a spiritual networking where only the Father and Jesus know the direction. You must find out who you are and how the Lord is leading you.

The new earth and the new heaven start with a new human race: those who are born again and baptized by the Holy Spirit. If you are not born again and baptized by the Holy Spirit, you cannot enter that supernatural realm. We need the Holy Spirit because Christ himself needed him. He has come to represent Christ and keep us company.

Clarify your position to Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit today. Without the Holy Spirit, your church is not a church. You cannot turn the Church into a den of Lucifer and Luciferian tactics.

Let the Church say, Amen.