The Operations of the Spirit of the Father
There is a warfare of the last time that the Church would fight. The Lord is placing an urgency for the Church to be equipped for the warfare that is ahead of us. This warfare will be characterized by a strong delusion and deception that is coming upon the land.
Romans 8:18-21
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”
There is a glory that shall be revealed. However, this glory will not be possible without first the sufferings of this present time. The essence of the present suffering is to produce sons of God. There cannot be sons of God, that is, the kind of sons to whom God will reveal His glory, without freedom from the bondage of corruption (Rom. 8:21).
The bondage of corruption is also called elements (or substances) of this world (Gal. 4:3). Hebrews 2:15 defined this bondage of corruption as the bondage of the power of the fear of death. Every man is under this bondage. This bondage makes it difficult for a man to desire things that pertain to the Godhead.
Lusts of the world are elements of the world. The lust of the world is backed up by the power of the fear of death, whose source is the devil. The devil gave birth to this world and put all men under his bondage.
We did not get delivered from this bondage at the new birth. This is because after the new birth experience, we are yet children. To be delivered from this bondage, we must graduate from that childhood state; refering to the state of the soul. That the soul has used the milk of the word, has faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, love for all the saints, and submitted to the leading of the Spirit in a measure, does not guarantee one total freedom from the bondage of the elements of this world.
The elements of this world are also referred to as the ‘course of this world’ (Eph. 2:2). The word ‘course’ connotes that it is a learning.The traditions of this world constitute courses. The essence of these courses is to put men in bondage. And as a result of this bondage, we cannot desire God. To deliver us from this bondage, we are taught Christ. Another definition of this world is sin and death. This world teaches men to be sinful. Christ delivers us from the power of sin and death.
Flesh is classified into two. ‘Flesh’ in Genesis 6:3 is different from ‘flesh’ in Galatians 5:19. While the former operation of flesh refers to the nature of man, the latter is a manifestation of works. Thus, there are lower operations of flesh and there are higher ones. There are works of the flesh that are manifest (Gal. 5:19) and those that are not manifest. Those that are manifest are called filthiness of the flesh while those that are not manifest are called filthiness of the spirit (2 Cor. 7:1).
The major work to be done in the season of the Father is to harvest the nature of God in the souls of men. After one has mastered the process of the Father, such would partake of the divine nature. In the season of the Father, what is to be addressed is the nature called flesh. Thus, from the milk of the word, to the season of Christ, flesh and its works are being addressed in the life (soul) of the saint.
The journey the believer undertakes between the season of the giving of the milk of the word of God and that of Christ is a long one. The milk of the word of God is also called the principles of the doctrine of Christ (Heb. 6:1) or the first principles of the oracles of God (Heb. 5:12).
In the new testament, the doctrine of the principles of Christ entails faith, love and the leading of the Spirit. Although, faith and love are embedded also in the leading of the Spirit. The principles of the doctrine of Christ is aimed at addressing the works of flesh, while the meat of the word is aimed at addressing the nature of flesh. Therefore, Jesus took part in the nature of flesh and blood (Heb. 2:14); but He did not take part in the works of flesh. That is to say, one cannot find issues like anger and malice in Him.
In the season of the Father, what will be addressed is the nature of flesh. The milk of the word is meant to deal with the works of the flesh that are manifest; also known as the law of sin and death. Whereas the doctrine of Christ is meant to deal with the works that are manifest (or filthiness of the spirit).
The law of the New Testament is not really the law of Christ. The New Testament is in the law of the Father. Until we have arrived in everlasting life, we have not really handled the New Testament. The law of Christ is needed to prepare one for the New Testament. God knows we cannot handle the New Testament at New Birth; hence, we are first given a lower preparation – Christ.
The Everlasting covenant is the New Testament. We just arrived in the New Testament, because we needed to journey to get here. The Holy Ghost had to prepare us through the season of Christ to get here. The New Testament is the testament of the Father and the Spirit. The Holy Ghost is given to teach us the law of the Godhead. Christ is a law, the Father is a law, and God is also a law. The true ministry of the Holy Ghost is to teach us these laws. These laws are spirits, hence, no one else can teach them except a Ghost – the Holy Ghost. No one can hack into the constitution of the Godhead; it is high. Only the Holy Ghost can teach Them because He is very windy (flexible).
2 Corinthians 3:9
“For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.”
This Scripture talks about the ministry of glory (righteousness and life) that excels. To be a competent minister of the New Testament, one must be able to handle the righteousness that excels. The righteousness that excels is an everlasting righteousness. Such a minister would also be able to handle the glory that excels, not like that of Moses that fades away. Anything that can pass away is not the New Testament. ‘Christ’ (as in nature) can fade away. That is, one can begin in Christ and draw back or get corrupted. Such a one has not yet been fully grafted into the core of the New Testament. This testament does not wane. One who has come into the new testament (everlasting life) is one who has broken into a zone of increasing order. Such a man can partake in everlasting righteousness.
Romans 8:21-23
“Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”
We cannot call for the Spirit of the Father when we do not have the firstfruits of the Spirit. Paul’s usage of the word, ‘firstfruits’ was influenced by his Jewish background. The Jews usually celebrated 7 feasts. The Jews have a religious calendar; there is a time of the year they plant and there is a time to harvest. There is always a first set of fruits that would ripen and be harvested before others, especially barley. This is because the land was not ordinary. The part that gets ready for harvest first, is cut and bound together.
Firstfruits simply represent resurrection. The Jews were celebrating this feast of first fruits when Jesus resurrected. In the New Testament, this feast means resurrection from the dead. Those who have the firstfruits of the Spirit are those who have profited well with the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. They are the one who can groan and call for the Spirit of adoption. They are the ones who are alive and can hear the voice of everlasting life. They are the company that can be saved.
The first principle of the doctrine of Christ, together with the doctrine of Christ produced the first fruits company. That is those who have used the milk of the word and the doctrine of Christ unto the point of Charity and by so doing have come to resurrect from the dead.
John 12:24
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”
There is a process of death (pain and suffering) that happens to the barley seed while in the ground before it can grow up (resurrect) to yield much fruit.
Galatians 5:22
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith…”
Another word for the firstfruits of the Spirit, as Paul renders it in Galatians 5:22 is the ‘fruit of the Spirit’. These are fruits that are harvested first before other fruits. There are other fruits who are after everlasting life. But before everlasting life, one must bring forth a kind of fruits – first fruits. Another name for the fruit of the Spirit is fruit of Charity – it is a fruit of love. The fruits of the Spirit are those borne forth from exercising oneself in the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.
Thus, we cannot begin to groan for the Spirit of adoption or the Spirit of the Son, if we have not used the allocation of Christ to experience the first fruit of the Spirit which is the fruit of love (Gal. 5:22). One must have experienced the death that comes from the faith of the Son to bear the fruit of the Spirit. Faith of the Son of God does not just put to death, it also raises. It puts to death works of the flesh.
Romans 8:1-2
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”
Faith puts to death the law of sin and death in our members (and carnal mind). The faith we live by raises us (Rom. 1:17). After the putting to death, there is a resurrection. For example, when anger is put to death, patience rises to take its place; forgiveness for malice. We must continue in faith, unto hope and charity (love). When the soul has gotten to love, it abounds therein, and bears fruit. It is then one can say one has the first fruit of the Spirit. One has to bear fruit in Christ, to have inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Ephesians 5:8-9
“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: [9] (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)”
After obeying the light in Christ, one becomes the light. When you have become the light, you have to walk as the children of light. We have to do this for the purpose of adoption. Children of Christ have fruits they have borne. The light we should have is the light of all goodness, righteousness and truth. When we walk in light, we prove what is acceptable. We must walk as children of light. Hearing the doctrine of Christ only does not make one a child of light. This is because we were sometimes darkness. We need to go beyond hearing the doctrine to walking in light. Our darkness must be converted to light (Acts. 26:18).
Colossians 1:13
“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son…”
Delivering us from the power of darkness is delivering us from the power of sin and its works. We become dark by having a darkened understanding. The understanding one has determines whether he is darkness or light. Christ is the light that must shine on our understanding. Light communicates an understanding of life. Another word for life is righteousness. There is a righteousness of Christ. This righteousness is the light and life of Christ. To convert us from darkness to light, we need the light of Christ. The light only becomes a life when we have learnt the law.
When the Holy Ghost has taught you the law of life, and you make use of it, you would bear the fruits of the Spirit. The Holy Ghost is the teacher of the law of Christ. The Holy Ghost is very robust in teaching as He uses instruction, correction, reproof and chastening to teach us the law.
You can not change if you do not master life in the Spirit. This is not done by sheer will or prayer. We pray so that our hearts can easily pick the leadings and promptings of the Spirit. The essence of the promptings, corrections and leading of the Spirit is so we can bear fruits – first fruits. When you bear fruits, you who were previously dead begin to experience a sense of life through your being. Your understanding is being awakened into consciousness such that your default response is after the law of life. Although you were darkness, now you are becoming light in the Lord. This is because one is bearing fruits and resurrection is taking place in the soul.
God wants to make our souls become Christ. He wants to perform the same resurrection work that has taken place in our spirits in our souls too. But this has to be through the learning and exercise of the Person of the law of righteousness called Christ. God needs us for the purpose of an everlasting covenant. We ought to do the law of Christ well, so that we can make this everlasting covenant; else one would not be able to participate in it. One can be hearing about things everlasting, but if such has not mastered the learning of the life of the Spirit of well, one cannot bring forth fruits (first fruits) of the Spirit. And without the first fruits of the Spirit, we cannot access the Spirit of the Father or the Spirit of the Son.
The company of those who have experienced resurrection from the dead are those who have the firstfruits of the Spirit. These men are not barren, but through the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus have mortified the flesh and its deeds (Rom. 8:13). And by so doing, they have become sons of the Spirit; these sons are christs. We cannot arrive at a heart of flesh if we have not borne fruits of the Spirit. Hence, the Spirit of the living God can write upon such, because he is a spirit. This is why the Lord puts so much labour in the season of Christ, so that men can come to as state where they can make everlasting covenant.
One who has been made free from sin and death, has attained resurrection from the dead. Such a one is free from the bondage of the elements of this world. This is the essence of the faith of the Son – to make us attain unto the resurrection from the dead (Gal. 2:20). The new life being lived in the flesh is a resurrected life. The Father would not accept anyone who does not have the firstfruits of the Spirit. You can not have fruits of the Spirit without hearing the faith of the Son. It is a righteousness that should be learned. And one who would learn the faith of the Son must submit to ploughing and cultivating of the Spirit of God; which Paul referred to as this present sufferings.
You must be well-grounded in faith to see the dimension of the invisible. You need a lot of faith to pierce into the realm of the invisible. The essence of the faith of the Son is to heal our souls from being a desert/dry land. Flesh seeks to make the soul dry, it wants to remove every nutrient that would make a man be able to respond to God. The ministration of faith, hope and charity brings the soul into ploughed.
To wait for adoption is to wait for the Spirit of adoption, which is the Spirit of the Son. A new spirit is a program of Christ. The heart that can receive the ministration of everlasting life is a heart of flesh or one that has borne of the first fruits. A heart of flesh is a heart of charity (Eze. 36:26). Charity is a product of the first fruit. We need to be in charity to receive “My Spirit”.
Ezekiel 36:27
“And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”
We need God’s Spirit to mortify the deeds of the flesh. We need “My Spirit” to walk in God’s statutes and judgements. God’s statutes are His standards. We cannot do the statutes and judgement of the Father without His Spirit. The Spirit of His Son is sent to the sons that have experienced the resurrection of the dead (Gal. 4:5). They are alive unto God by reason of their resurrection, so they can hear the Gospel which is the everlasting gospel. Those who can hear the everlasting gospel are those that are either dying or have been resurrected.
1 Peter 4:5-6
“Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.”
The dead here does not refer to those dead in sins and trespasses. There is a company of people who are still mortifying the deeds of the flesh and there is another company of people that are dead.
Galatians 3:1-3
“O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?”
One may want to think that the Galatian Church was like the Corinthian church, carnal. The Galatian church had the program of everlasting life on course. They had journeyed with the doctrine of Christ well. That was why he was admonishing them to sow into the Spirit so that they can reap everlasting life (Gal. 6:8). He also warned them not to be beguiled into trying to perfect in the flesh what they had begun in the spirit (Gal. 3:3). The operation of the warfare of the last time has to do with beguiling; to shift men away from the Gospel of Christ and pervert the work that had been done in them.
So, Paul was gradually pushing them into everlasting life; encouraging them to sow into the spirit not the flesh. They already had fruit of the spirit, but if they sowed more to the spirit, they would reap life everlasting. They were children of the Spirit (Gal. 3:2) because Christ had been evidently set forth amidst them. Those who are sons are those who have become Christ. If you have partaken of the resurrection of the dead, you are a son that God can send the Spirit of the Son into. The Holy Ghost is the teacher of the life of the Godhead. The Spirit of His Son comes to train such in everlasting life. The Spirit of His Son also teaches the law of God (God, the Father), which is everlasting life. Thus, the sending of the Spirit of such one is the Holy Ghost taking the role of the Son to teach us the Father’s statutes and judgements. This is what is called everlasting righteousness, or the first and last works, or the blessing of good and the perfect light, which are the blessings of the Father. Good light gives us understanding and education of the law. Light is knowledge and understanding.
We need to see the precepts, the way, and the doctrine of everlasting life that the Spirit of the Father would teach. The Spirit of the Son comes to teach the law of the Father. The Father is a law. The Father reveals Himself by committing His judgement. What the Father gave to the Son, to give to other sons, is judgement (Heb. 2:10-12). Thus the essence of the Spirit of the Son is to declare the name of the Father in the midst of the church. The name of the Father is the law of the Father. This is also known as the law needed to receive another nature which is divine nature.
Hebrews 2:9
“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”
The grace of God here is the Spirit of the Son. There are deaths that Jesus tasted of (other than that of the cross) to convert flesh into quickening spirit. This is what the Father does also, He raises the dead and quickens them (John 5:21). When statutes are done, He raises; when judgement is done He quickens. We break into this realm of quickening by the grace of God or the Spirit of the Son. This Spirit is a teacher. They have to teach us how to taste the sufferings of death. The sufferings of death are lessons. The Being responsible for the learning is the grace of God. The grace of God is a teacher of the suffering of death (Tit. 2:11). It teaches us how to live righteously. We need to learn the suffering. This was what Paul prayed for in Philippians 3:10 when he asked to know the fellowship of His suffering.
Hebrews 2:10
“For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”
All things here refers to statutes and judgement – everlasting righteousness. They are the laws of everlasting life. The Father sent the Spirit of His Son to sons, so the Son can bring many sons to glory. You can not be harvested into an everlasting covenant without the sending of the Spirit of His Son because you need to be taught the laws of everlasting life. When the Spirit teaches, it is all encompassing. He teaches as correction, instruction, nudges, guidance, promptings, scourging, and chastisement, so we can partake of His own kind of holiness which is higher than the holiness of Christ.
Romans 6:22
“But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.”
When we do righteousness unto holiness, we yield the first fruits of the Spirit. We need the Son of God to bring forth many sons (Heb. 2:10). For the Son to do this, the Spirit of the Son has to be sent. The Spirit of the Son is sent to the hearts of all men who have obeyed unto Christ; men who have borne the fruits of the Spirit, fruits of love. Men that have attained resurrection of the dead in their souls to different degrees.
When the Spirit of the Son is sent into the heart, it sheds the love of God in the heart. The law is a light. This is what Paul referred to as the glorious gospel of Christ being shone into our hearts (2 Cor. 4:4,6). The essence of this glorious gospel is to cast the image of the glory of God upon hearts. Image is a law; image is formed by the giving of laws. Christ is a law; so Christ is an image. Another word for everlasting life is to build the image of everlasting God. The material for building the image of the Father in us are His statutes and judgements. In photography, an image is formed by casting light on something.
Romans 5:1-3
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;”
Faith and patience are needed to receive the inheritance that is undefiled and does not fade. to hear the statutes of God. God gave about 60 laws and 600 statutes to the children of Israel. Because it was difficult to keep all the law, as defaulting in one means defaulting in all; one of the Pharisees asked him which one of the laws was the greatest, such that if that was done, one had fulfilled all the law. Jesus responded, “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matt.22:37-40).
Thus, all the laws and statutes of God are embedded in the love of God. The law of everlasting life is the love of God; which when a man has, it casts out all fear (1 John 4:18). This therefore tells us that when the Spirit of the Son shed the love of God abroad in our hearts, the statutes and judgements of God were also given to us. He also shed the light of His love of God. The law of everlasting life is the love of God, which is the love of the Father.
John 14:15
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
You can keep the commandment of everlasting life when God sends the Spirit of the Son into your heart. When the Spirit of the Father is sent to you, you are enabled to not love the world (1 John 2:15). One who loves the world and the things in the world, does not have the statutes and judgement of God in him. But when the love of God is shed in the heart, the love is a light that carries His law, which is His statutes and judgement. Such a one will also not love his life unto death because the love of God will constrain such a one.
Galatians 4:6
“And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.”
Romans 5:5
“And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
When we begin to read the book of John, we begin to hear that God is love and God is life. The love refers to the law of God, while the life has to do with the learning of that law or the shedding of that law in our hearts.
Message Ends.
