HAPPY WITH CHURCH TONIGHT
The prayer meeting was very good. We started strong with prayers and praise. I so much appreciate our prophetic team. We are all in one accord. No friction of rebellion is allowed if we want to glorify God in our services. The unity of the Spirit is essential for the anointing to come down, to save, touch and heal. Their input is priceless. They are in the Spirit when they come to minister. It makes it so easy for me to preach the Word for the hearts of the people are tender already. God bless ‘the willing volunteers of Israel’, the congregation of saints in Father’s House Bible Church, Warri, Nigeria! Then the message came:
“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise and five were foolish” (Mt 13:1, 2)
This parable is spoken by our Lord. It is one of many telling people about His second coming. It describes the visible church on earth. The word virgin is very strong; it means more than just women of girls. It describes obviously committed Christians. These ten virgins are not just Sunday attendance Christians but the ones who come to weekly activities, pay their tithes and sacrificially serve God with all their hearts. But in spite of this, five are born again and five are not. Only God knows who are saved. Even the wise do not know the others are foolish. The foolish are so close to salvation and yet, very far. This parable is a warning to examine our faith. The ten virgins have many things in common:
*All are virgins (they have good moral characters and love Jesus; they are not involved in sexual sins)
*All have lamps (the lamp symbolizes the body. It also symbolizes the Word of God. They all can quote the Bible)
*All went out to meet the Bridegroom (they all have the same dreams and expectations; they desire to see Jesus and meet Him)
*All of them slumbered and slept as the Bridegroom was delayed in coming (they all are human)
*All of them heard the midnight cry: “Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’
*They all arose and got excited and they all trimmed their lamps
This is the end of the similarities. What happens from this time on reveals the hidden differences, why five are wise and five are foolish. The differences are less in number. In fact, the only difference is the presence of oil in the lamps. Oil is the symbol of the Holy Spirit. The conclusion is this: he who is filled with the Holy Spirit is saved, is born again and will see the Lord. He will be blessed. The Lord shall be his reward.
“You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ” (Rom 8:9)
The one who lacks the Holy Spirit, though he has all other things, gifts and blessings, is not saved. He will miss the Lord and His blessings. The oil is the vital difference! The Seal of the Holy Spirit is the eternal stamp of difference! Without the oil, you have to go back to a fruitless business, to buy and sell without any eternal gain. The oil is the pass word for the door to open, to see the Lord and to be blessed forever!
These are most serious questions…Did you receive the Holy Spirit since you have believed? Do you know the Person of God the Holy Spirit? Is He your friend? Are you saved, born again and Spirit filled?