Recent happenings around leaders of Christian denominations in Nigeria, intensely engineered by, first, the Nigeria's 2020 CAMA Laws, and the most recent verbal altercation, involving Pastor David Ibiyieomie and OAP "Daddy Freeze", has necessitated this enlightenment, which will begin a series of expositions on "the Church", and her members. This is to expose Christian denominations - a creation of the self-will, by the self-claimed "calling" of men - as the carnal spirtualisation of the celestial body of Jesus Christ.

Before one enters into a city, he must legally do so by gate into the City or climb over the walls as a thief. So it is with the City of God. This literary piece comes to show us the exact picture of what leaders of denominations carnally spiritualise because they, themselves, do not know - having inherited "the traditions of their fathers", and abusing the decency they inherited in it - who the Church consists. But nothing is forever. Christians deserve the truth. And here is where we will begin.

Revelation 22:12-16 makes it important for every believer to understand how the price for making heaven had already been accomplished in Christ Jesus. There is no price to pay for our admission into heaven that was left unpaid. Everything was fully paid for. However, two passages of scriptures tell us what we must do to ensure that the price that Jesus Christ paid for our admission into heaven, and that, which takes away our sins from us, and make death powerless over us, is not wasted.

Matthew 7:13-14 and Luke 13:24 both tells us about “finding our gates”, which Jesus said very "few shall find", and being “able” to enter therein as Jesus said many who desire to enter therein “shall not be able”. So, it is very possible for a believer to feel safe in Christ while here on earth, but because he has not played his own role of personal development so very well, making all efforts at personal spiritual development, he misses heaven via his missing his gate, or not being able to enter into it.

Let us understand this by the revelation that Jesus Christ gave to John upon the Isles of Patmos (Revelation 17: 14): We shall be considering the 3 classes of believers the passage talks about, starting with “The Called”, then "The Chosen" and finally "The Faithful". This will be delving into my book "The Foundation of Unbelief".

It is possible to believe that you are a Christian when you are actually only attempting to be a Gentile-Jew, believing Moses at heart, and in acts. There was the first beginning, which started from Genesis and ended in Revelation. How many Christians know that there was a New Genesis that began with the Revelation of John - that everything outside the Bible has the opportunity of "the New Creation"? For whom old things are gone, and EVERYTHING IS NEW. We must see ourselves in a new walk with God, not as Moses taught, but as the Holy Spirit now teaches, using Jesus as our example.

"THE CALLED": THE HOLY SPIRIT TESTIFYING

The call of faith is to bring the child of God from the darkness of the world into the light of spiritual reality and intelligence. The move from darkness into light removes ignorance and fear. In darkness, one knows and sees himself only; but when light shines in that darkness, every other thing around is exposed, then discernment of whom from what, and whose from which would be clear and convenient. From this exposure, the mind garners and gathers needed experiences.

In darkness, the mind wanders aimlessly, but in light, it is actively engaged (John 12.35). It is under the light that one can work, no one can work in darkness (John 9.4). The original mandate of man, what mandate remains for any child of God, is to work and keep the earth and its resources, as a steward of God. There are good works and there are laborious works.

God has called us onto good works, which He has accomplished for us from the foundation of the world pertaining to the earth and its fullness. These works are Sabbath works, the type to which Adam and the Israeli Priests were to work (Genesis 2.15), and the type to which Jesus gave himself to accomplishing finally (John 5.16-17).

Jesus made it clear that it is from the abundance of the heart that the mouth makes utterances (Matthew 12.34). Jeremiah 1.4-5, 9 “Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, before I formed you in the womb I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified you, and I ordained you a prophet unto the nations. …then the lord put forth is hand, and touched my mouth; and the Lord said unto me Behold! I have put my words in your mouth”.

Jeremiah was to speak whatsoever he heard. He could not say anything until it was in his heart (Matthew 12.34). He first learnt the words by heart. Towards the end of the ministry of Jesus, he began to teach his disciples on abidance, instructing them by the imagery of the vine: how the branches must abide in the vine if it must produce fruits (this means staying, or remaining in Church, and not "going to Church". He chose and ordained these men to go and bear the fruits that will remain (John 15.16). Our call is a call to learn. It is not a call to "preach", nor a commitment to abidance; the believer must progress from learning to abide in Christ, in the Church. When learning endures, character builds up; when character becomes grounded, it speaks for itself (Colossians 3.15-17).

Every child of God who speaks does not speak because he heard another like him speak, but speaks by the experience the fellowship of the word had caused him to obtain in God (John 16.25). The word of God in our hearts brings the righteousness of Jesus. This is a gift, and having obtained this gift by faith in the word, Apostle Peter admonished in II Peter 1.5-9 that we add virtue to faith i.e. making conscious effort to conform our lives to the word. It is a conscious effort, exercised at conforming to Jesus in our relationships with others (always asking, “What would Jesus do?”).

To virtue we must add knowledge i.e. we are to continue studying to discover more of the inexhaustible Jesus. As we know more of Jesus, we add self-control to knowledge i.e. we must use the knowledge we gain to test the virtue we added to faith; patience must also come to play as pertaining to the promises of God. Endurance (the immediate advance stage of patience) is the root of faith (Hebrews 11.1-39; 12.1).

Hope does not have an end, it is like tomorrow; it will not fail. Furthermore, to our patience, we must add godliness; godliness is the recall to our original mandate, working the Sabbath works. Doing this shows that we have come to (Sabbath) rest. To godliness, we must add brotherly kindness; this brings out the purity of our Sabbath works. With brotherly kindness, we would not exploit others, we would not defraud, despise, and manipulate others, and we would not see other people as our problems.

We would learn to thank God for everything because we have learnt to see his will in everything that happens to us. This is to give us an expected end. Jesus associated with the less privilege and he was also a man acquainted with pain. It is only when we have come to these that we can reasonably show love for one another. This is what our election exemplifies (II Peter 1.8-11).

During the earthly ministration of Jesus, many followed him through his ministration of the word he spoke, and the communal welfare he provided, but he personally called seven men. From among the multitude that followed him, Jesus also appointed seventy-two men, and sent them out in twos into every city. He commanded them not to go from house to house, but to enter into the city and abide in the house into which they shall be welcomed. They were to preach the kingdom and to heal the sick among them (Luke 10.1-11).

He had earlier chosen five men by election, from among them that followed him; adding these to the ones he personally called, the number of his Apostles came to twelve men. He sent them out with power and authority to overcome demons, and to cure diseases. The difference between the Evangelist and the Apostle is strictly in the fact that the apostles were delegates, delegated with the power and authority of Christ (Luke 9.1-6). The seventy-two evangelists were ad-hoc ministers who returned from their assignments to keep following Jesus (John 6.60-66).

Mathematically speaking, and to establish what the ministry of the seventy-two exemplified, Jesus clearly demonstrated that the ratio of the twelve to the seventy-two is one to six. Six symbolizes work and imperfection: for God provided for man six days to do his work and to perfect this work by the Sabbath rest he has provided. Never again did we hear about the seventy-two, because they refused to enter into the rest of God, these were the men, who in John 6 departed from Jesus because, according to them, his words were too hard to hear.

However, let us not forget that these men cast out demons and healed the sick when they went out in the power of Christ; an experience most believers have not yet had, nor seen what they saw, yet have believed. It is clear here how a believer is "the called", yet his work is not perfect because he is yet to abide in Christ.

The seventy-two men sent out in twos were men of no titles, and did not receive the type of training the Apostles received, yet Jesus assigned them. This is to say the call of Jesus led and directed them, and Jesus, by the spirit of the call, did the works, the spirit quickening the works by their obedience.

However, the Apostles had the conferred spirit of Jesus upon them. Jesus likened the kingdom of heaven to a man who sowed good seed in his field (Psalms 24.1; Matthew13.24-29).

The word of God is living and powerful (Hebrews 4.12). Every unit of the word of God has life in it, and until the life of the word influence you, you cannot be lively disposed to the word. Until a passage of scripture jumps out at you, you do not have a sow-able seed.

Jesus likened the kingdom of heaven to a grain of mustard seed, and noted that it is the least of all seeds. The shortest verse in scripture is John 11.35. You would be astonished at the degree of impartation this verse bears on anyone to whom God chooses to minister it. This verse could be the grain of mustard seed; it may be any other. A grain of mustard seed is a unit, and if sowed in the field grows to be the greatest among herbs; birds also lodge in its branches (Matthew 13.31-32). It is about the categories of stewardship in Christ, the potentials, the possibilities and the services rendered.

Jesus taught that even the least considered scripture when sown in the heart provides spiritual shelter for those with whom it convokes. So it is required of us to abide in the word until we find in it life to influence others (II Timothy 2.15). In Matthew 13.44-45, Jesus likened the kingdom of heaven to a treasure hid in a field, which when a man has found, and for the joy of it, sells all that he has to buy the field. Jesus asked the rich ruler to sell off all his possessions and come to follow him.

The rich ruler found the hid treasure, desired it but refused to pay the price to acquire it. In Matthew 16.24, Jesus said “if any man will come after me, he should deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me”. The lesson here is that there is no how one receives the word of God with joy that he would not give up anything to retain it. It is a fundamental breakthrough in life.

I have walked several times with Jesus through the streets of Jerusalem, waited with, and among the Jews as Jesus addressed Zacchaeus, and I see little details that the Apostles missed, because the word of God is the same yesterday, today and forever more. Yes, it is possible to play back the life of Jesus picturing yourself in his congregation - this is the Church, and we congregate in scriptures. This is my reality - remaining in Church. This message is scarce.

Whoever wears the shoe knows where it itches. Those who feel it, know it. Yes! I figure myself in the multitude that followed Jesus. I was in his loins! Learn to talk like me brothers and sisters. No one who would finds life by the word would be able to restrain the joy of letting everything else go (Matthew 19.27-29). Jesus pictured the Church and her content in the Parable of the Net.

The net was cast into the sea and it gathered every kind of creature, which; when drawn to the shore, men sat down and gathered the good into the vessels, but cast the bad ones away. He said every scribe who is instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, who brought forth out of his treasure things new and old (Matthew 13.52).

Scribes were high-ranking temple (Church) officials like those who sit in privileged seats in churches, in some congregations, they seat on elevated stages, looking down on the congregants. Jesus, here, admonishes these ones to receive instruction humbly (like David Ibiyieomie is resisting in Daddy Freeze) because things hidden to the wise, God always reveals to suckling. This is the wisdom of God.

A Scribe is the custodian and expounder of the old Law. When Maggis came to Herod in Jerusalem and inquire concerning the birthplace of he who is born King of the Jews, it was to the Chief Priests and the Scribes he deferred for revelation. Jesus was therefore referring to teachers and custodians of God’s oracle. He talked about their receiving instructions concerning the kingdom.

This shows that issues of the kingdom are not with them who appear to know about them; but if they give themselves to instructions, not building strongholds around their attainments, they would be able to compare the old treasures with the new ones (I Corinthians 2.13).

In Matthew 18.5, 10 Jesus said “And whosoever shall receive one of such little child (to instruct) in my name, receives me…take heed that you despise not one of these little ones, for I say unto you, that in heaven, their angels do always behold the face of my Father, who is in heaven”. Concerning conversion, Jesus said in Matthew 18.3 “Verily I say unto you, except you be converted and become like children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven”. This is a call to humility, and a teachable spirit, and the first among five characters of "the chosen".

This is a wakeup call for the clergy

A HUMBLE AND TEACHABLE SPIRIT

Take note that a call is not an ordination, and until you are ordained, God will not confirm his choice in you. This ordination is not by the anointing oil and the laying on of human hands, nor has it to do with man’s activities. This ordination is by the Holy Spirit, and it comes when scripture comes alive in the soul, and a chosen one is prepared with revelation and ministry for the Church. Primarily, we must understand that the most important period in our relationship with God is when he chooses us, and not when he calls us - His Call is to all who may come.

God called Abraham when he was yet uncircumcised and gave him a promise, but he did not establish a covenant with him until he was circumcised. Our circumcision is of the heart (Romans 2.29). Circumcision was to Abraham what grace is to us today.

The circumstance of the covenant of circumcision was without an oath, it only brought about the gift of a son, it gave faith a holding, but God required Abraham’s submission and obedience for the covenant of deliverance and friendship to birth, this brought the oath of God for the everlasting blessing of man through the presentation of a “Son Offering”.

You must ascend the Mount of the Lord before you can find deliverance (Genesis 22.14), but grace is available everywhere, as a gift of God to all men. He is the one who causes it rain upon the roof of the poor and the rich, the good and the bad, grace distinguishes not, but deliverance is the Children’s bread, it is only for the Household of Faith. In the Covenant of deliverance, God confirmed Abraham’s participation and involvement, and made a surety by an oath (Genesis 22.15-18). Until we train our hearts to hear God by the ears of our spirit, we may not hear him, lest we obey him. Obedience to God’s voice is therefore the upholding of his word inwardly, not outwardly. This is why I choose outward rascality, so that men can judge me in vain. Like the "curse of David Ibiyieomie" - empty, ungodly, boastful and vain.

Psalms 1.1-3 “Blessed is the man…whose delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in it does he meditate day and night, he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season; his leaf shall also not wither; and whatsoever he does shall prosper”. Therefore, the first ingredient for the chosen of God is their ability to submit in obedience to God’s word. God will not choose anyone who has not submitted in obedience to His word, because His words bear the mechanism for discerning the thoughts and the intents of the heart, and nothing hides from Him. The word of God can therefore not apply transformation to the life that does not submit to its demands.

Culled from "The Foundation of Unbelief" written by Ini Akpan Morgan, CEO, The Apostolic Vision International (AVInt.)