GREATER GROWTH THROUGH THE GRACE AND GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT
Acts 4:33; 9:31.
Today, we are talking about salvation, steadfastness and spirituality; this salvation of God comes by the grace of God, the steadfastness is in the godliness that God’s grace brings into our lives, and this spirituality makes us grow in life, ministry, and achievements. “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.” (Acts 4:33). The great grace was not only on the apostles but on all the believers. We should all have great grace to preach, pray, endure persecution, go everywhere, and obey the Lord. “Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.” (Acts 9:31). Rest in the New Testament is not just sleeping, but this rest means we rest from struggling against Satan, sin, and against self, restoration, redemption, and the peace we have with God and with one another. When we are totally restored, and the redemption of the Lord is present and prevalent in the church, there will be rest. When we have the rest of the Lord in our midst, we will edify one another. When we love and fear the Lord, we will not want to do anything He will not appreciate because we will be conscious of His presence, precepts, and purpose every time. When the ministers of the Lord grow, the church will multiply.
- THE COMMISSION AND PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL OF THE SAVIOUR
Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 26:16-18.
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:18-20). Christ is our Saviour and sovereign, and before He gives the church the Great Commission, He announces His power and authority over the whole earth. As we spread the gospel, we do not recognised any other power or authority, and we recognise neither the face nor the frown of anyone because all power and authority is given unto the sovereign Christ in heaven and on earth. We are to go to all nations and teach them the same thing Christ has commanded us because the curriculum and qualification for heaven remain the same. The people we teach are not just to learn but must also live by what they learn. The promise of Christ’s abiding presence is grounded on the basis that we teach whatsoever He has commanded us. “But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” (Acts 26:16-18). Always remember the purpose of God’s calling upon your life: to turn sinners from their sins and prick and pinch backsliders until they return to the Lord with conviction in their hearts. Our purpose for coming to the Ministers’ Conference is to be reminded of what we already know and to reveal what He will appear to us. If our message does not turn anyone from the past to the purity of the Lord, we are not fulfilling the purpose of God. If we are not turning those in darkness to the light of the gospel, we have not done what we are appointed for. If we are not turning people from vacillation to steadfastness, we have not done what the Lord has called us to do.
(i) Great Grace and Faithfulness for the Great Commission – 1 Corinthians 15:10; Romans 15:18-19; Acts 17:6, 19:10. The same grace of God that saves us is the one that makes us faithful; without grace you cannot be saved, manifest faith, or be faithful. There is faith for salvation, steadfastness, spirituality, standing firm, serving the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind, and not wavering or vacillating. What you want from the Lord is to have so much grace and faith that you remain steadfast in the salvation of the Lord. “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” (1 Corinthians 15:10). We don’t need grace to be what we were in the past, to be disobedient, to be rebellious or to manifest the works of the flesh; we need grace to become new men and new women with new lives. It is the grace of God that makes us preachers of righteousness. Don’t let the grace of God in your life be in vain. It is God’s grace that makes us pursue the Great Commission.
(ii) Glorious Gospel in Fulness Through Great Commitment – Romans 15:29; Acts 20:24-27; 8:4; Psalm 68:11. Does the grace and gospel you have fill your heart, mind, and brain and help you walk according to that gospel? If you preach the glorious gospel, you must possess the glorious gospel in fullness. “And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.” (Romans 15:29). You must remain in the fruit of the Spirit for you to preach the glorious gospel. You cannot preach the life-transforming gospel if you are not living straight and walking straight.
(iii) Greater ‘Going Forth’ with Great Faith for Great Conversions – Mark 16:20; Acts 3:19, 26; 15:3; 13:44, 48-49. We are going forth because we want souls to be converted. We must go forth in the power and Spirit of the gospel. “And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” (Mark 16:20). The disciples went forth with the gospel that Christ had given them. If you encourage the sinner to continue in the sin that crucified Christ on the cross, the Lord will not work with you. God works with us when we are on His side. The Lord will not confirm the lie you tell against Calvary, preach against Christ, or preach against the eternal truth of God; God only confirms His word when it is told as it is.
- THE CONSECRATION OF PARTAKERS OF THE GRACE OF SANCTIFICATION
Acts 15:9,11; Hebrews 2:9-11.
Grace has not done its complete work in your life if there is no sanctification; grace has not gone far enough in your life if there is no sanctification. The same God of salvation is the God of sanctification, the same God of healing is the God of holiness, and the same God of pardon is the God of purity, and He calls us unto sanctification, gives us the grace for sanctification, makes us partakers of sanctification, and we commit, consecrate, and abandon ourselves to that. We must have consecration before we can partake of the sanctification experience, while we are expecting the sanctification experience and after possessing the sanctification experience.
(i) Command by God to Sanctification – Leviticus 20:7-8; Hebrews 12:14, 28; 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 7; 5:22-24. “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you.” (Leviticus 20:7-8). When you sanctify yourself, you separate yourself from every appearance of evil and prepare yourself for heavenly sanctification. “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” (Hebrews 12:14). As Jesus did not follow peace with the Pharisees, we cannot follow peace with those who pervert and contradict the gospel, making it ineffective in the lives of the people. We must, however, follow peace with all men, not those who oppose the gospel. You must love Christ above all backsliders.
(ii) Consecration for the Grace of Sanctification – John 17:14-17; 2 Timothy 2:19-22; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Matthew 10:37-38. Consecration means we abandon ourselves before the Lord and declare our love for Him. “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:37-38). Consecration means that you love Christ more than everything and everyone around you. No spouse can take the other to heaven; therefore, we must love Christ above our spouses.
(iii) Confirmation of Our Godliness and Sanctification – 2 Peter 1:3-4; 1 Peter 1:2,14-16; Ephesians 5:26-27; 2 Peter 3:10-14. “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Peter 1:3-4). When the Lord gives us virtue and godliness and the experience of sanctification, we have the divine nature. The divine nature is good both inwardly and outwardly, producing holiness in our hearts and external lives.
- THE COMPREHENSION AND POSSESSION OF THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT
1 Corinthians 12:1,7-11.
There is grace by the Spirit, and there are gifts of the Spirit that enable us to do God’s work.
(i) Praying Passionately for the Gift of the Spirit – Luke 11:9, 13; Acts 2:38-39; Isaiah 44:3; John 7:37-39. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38). After we are saved and sanctified, there is something more that God wants to give us. Salvation cuts off the branches of the tree of sin, sanctification uproots the tree and prepares the heart for the Holy Spirit to dwell in. When that is done, you must pray passionately for the Gift, the baptism of the Spirit.
(ii) Pursuing Perseveringly the Gifts of the Spirit – 1 Corinthians 12:7-11; 2 Kings 2:2, 4, 6, 9-15; Acts 9:9, 11, 17; 13:2-4. “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.” (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). Salvation and sanctification are profitable for us to get to heaven, while the gifts of the Spirit make us profitable to the people so that we can do the work of God with power and productivity. The Lord will give you the gifts of the Spirit, and the manifestation of the gifts will lead to the conversion of souls in Jesus Name.
(iii) Preaching Persuasively to Gentiles, by the Spirit – Acts 13:43-44, 47; 19:8, 10-12, 26; 2 Corinthians 5:11; 2 Timothy 1:12-14. If our preaching does not persuade anyone, we are just having a nice time. “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.” (2 Corinthians 5:11). We must go everywhere and persuade people to turn to the Lord, to serve God acceptably. As ministers, we must be persuaded of the message we have for us to persuade the people we are ministering to.
