The Adventures on the road to the Celestial City (10)

 

Loved one in Christ Jesus, I believe you are growing in the strength of the Lord. I’m still on my teachings, the adventures on the road to the Kingdom of Heaven. This is lesson ten. Kindly read the previous lessons for a more profound revelation. There is a lot of revelation in the previous lessons, which will catapult you to a higher height in your spiritual life.

In this lesson, I will share with you one of the invisible keys most Christians are ignorant of. It is my prayer the Holy Spirit speaks to you. Let’s read from the living Word.

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Matthew 7:13-14 KJV

Jesus Christ, in one of His evangelistic missions, taught the people on the mountain a powerful lesson. In His teachings, He revealed these truths.

1.  The straight gate

2. The Narrow Way.

3. The path that leads to life and

4. The path that leads to destruction.

Many Christians have found a true church, but they are not ready to walk on the narrow path. These are the Christians who attend the called and chosen church of God, but they are not willing to follow the truth preached by the leaders in the church.

I remember, I had a vision around "2015." The Holy Spirit revealed some things a minister and his associates practice in their church. In the vision, I saw the leader (minister of God) sitting on a throne (Chair) with a group of people (ministry associates). 

The people (men) were sitting on their thrones in a confined room. It looked like they were kings in the spiritual realm. In the dream, I saw the leader chewing meats. After the leader consumes the meat, he throws the bones to the people (church members) sitting under him. 

As I'm growing in the Lord and the ministry of God, I realize that the leader I saw in the dream preached and taught hard truth to his church members. The leader and his associates rarely cared about the spiritual babes in the ministry. Meditate on these scriptures.

I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

1 Corinthians 3:1-2 KJV

For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

Hebrews 5:12 KJV

The leader and his associates partially practiced what they preached and taught their church members. The leader and his associates took the meat (spiritual food) and gave the bones (hard truth designed for highly matured Christians) to the church members. 

I can also interpret the dream in this way, the leader and his associates valued the church members as dogs (unclean people) because it is dogs that feed on bones (Meditate on Matthew 15:21-27). This means the leader saw himself as more righteous than the members of the church.

Some ministries teach false doctrines. These false doctrines produce carnal Christians and religious unbelievers in the body of Christ. Most Christian leaders do not practice what they preach, teach, and write. These ministers expect their associates and church members to follow their teachings, but they are not following their teachings. 

Comparing the dream with the truth (Word of God), I can declare that some Church members are more matured spiritually than the leader(s) of the church. Some ministerial associates and church members are lost because of the teachings the leader produces in the church. 

As Jesus said, "straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life." Some Christians are in the wrong church, and these churches are indoctrinating their souls. Because of these false doctrines, these Christians harden their heart to the truth. These Christians do not walk in Spirit and truth because the heart of these church leaders are far from God. 

These Christians are not ready to submit to the leadership of the Holy Spirit because the false teachings have corrupted their soul (will power, emotions, desires, and intellect). Some of these false teachings can emanate from colleges, cultures, and families. Some Christians are also in the right church, but they have decided not to submit to the truth. 

There is another type of Christians who loves to follow the crowd. These Christians follow ministers of God who are matured in the spiritual gifts. They follow ministries that perform signs and wonders. These Christians do not follow a ministry that is matured spiritually in truth. These Christians hate the truth with a passion because of their evil deeds (Meditate on John 3:19-21).

There are Christians who submit to a ministry that teaches lies and prophesy falsely because they are lost. These Christians only love to hear what they want to hear. They are not ready for spiritual growth. They only come to church for their personal needs and wants and reject the leadership of the Holy Spirit. As Apostle Paul writes,

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

2 Timothy 4:3-4 KJV

In our modern church, if your ministry does not operate in the prophetic gifts; you will struggle to get genuine members. Most people love to hear what is happening in their lives and their families. People want a quick solution from God, but they are not ready to build a fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

Some carnal Christians force the leader of the church to prophesy without the directive of the Holy Spirit. This is one reason many prophets and ministers of God prophesy falsely. False leaders preaching and teaching false doctrines to entice the members of the church. 

People will do anything to get temporal things than to make it to the Celestial City. Child of God, have you ever sat down for a minute to think about your eternity? Remember, life on earth is too short (See Job 14:1-2).

The sad part of the story is that most “Christians” are following blind leaders. The soul of these Christians is on the road to Hell because the leader of the ministry is lost. Child of God, don’t become a victim of this error because you have the Holy Spirit.

Build yourself in the Spirit through the Word and prayer. Ignorance is the pathway to destruction (Meditate on Hosea 4:6). If you don’t want to miss God’s path, let the Word of God, prayer, and spiritual songs dominate your life.

On the road to the celestial city, you will encounter false Christians, false apostles, false prophets, false evangelist, false pastors, false teachers, and genuine (called, chosen and anointed) ministers of God. Some keys to help you discern a false minister is to check the life of the minister and the fruit the leader produces in his assembly.

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Matthew 7:15-19 KJV

One way to discern a false ministry is to check their ethics and doctrines. Use the mirror of the Word (Holy Bible) and inner seeds (spiritual fruits and gifts) in your heart and spirit to discern the false and true ministers and ministries. Know these truths.

• A true minister of God believes in Jesus Christ as his only Saviour and Lord of his life.
• True ministries preach the accurate word of God.
• A true minister of God reveals the character of Jesus Christ in his Christian life.
• A true minister of God directs you to Jesus Christ.
• A true minister of God testifies of Jesus Christ.
• Loyal ministers of God direct you to Jesus Christ.
• True ministries use the Word of God as the foundation of their doctrine.

When you feel a sense of inner peace and joy in your heart anytime you enter the church, you are in the right ministry or church. Know these truths.

•  If the church allows you to use the spiritual gifts the Holy Spirit has invested in you, you are in the right ministry.
• If the vision of the church agrees with the vision God has given you, you are in the right ministry. 
• If the church expresses divine love to you despite your weakness, you are in the right ministry.
• If the church helps you to grow spiritually in the ways of God, you are in the right ministry.
• If the doctrine of the church agrees with the written Word of God, you are in the right ministry.
• If the church preaches Jesus Christ as the only Saviour of the world and Lord of your life, you are in the right ministry.
• If the church accepts you as you are, and they are ready to make you a worker in the church as you grow in the character of the Lord, you are in the right church.
• If the minister or the ministry is not jealous of your spiritual growth, spiritual gifts, and accomplishment in the Lord, you are in the right church.
• If you can play a role in the church and the church leaders are ready to help you grow the ministry of God, you are in the right church.
• If the church consistently fights you when you operate in the spiritual gifts, you are in the wrong ministry.
• If the church does not feed and teach you with the truth (Word of God), you are in the wrong ministry.
• If the church does not care about you, you are in the wrong ministry.
• If the teachings and preaching’s of the minister or the ministry, do not make any impact in your life, you are in the wrong ministry.
• If the church does not want you to exhibit the gifts the Holy Spirit has planted in you, you are in the wrong ministry.
•  If you always feel uncomfortable in your heart anytime you enter the church, you are in the wrong ministry.
• If you believe God has called and chosen you to do something for the ministry, but the church does not recognize that you can do something for the ministry, you are in the wrong ministry.

Child of God, I can show you several ways to identify true and false ministers and ministries. I think these few keys are enough to help you discern true and false ministers and ministries. One of the best keys I can give to you is to consistently study the Word of God and build a consistent prayer life. 

If you know the truth (Word of God), the truth will show you the right path. The truth will liberate you from the path of destruction. The truth will always guide you to the celestial city. Meditate on this scripture.

 …ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 8:32 KJV

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