PSALM 11:3
Psalms 11:3
2 Timothy 2:19. Whatever anyone does, says, ministers, prophesies, whatever lies they tell, whatever frivolity they manifest, God knows those who are His. Let everyone who say they have been called into ministry and call the name of God depart from iniquity.
- THE WORK OF THE RIGHTEOUS: REPAIRING DESTROYED AND RUINED FOUNDATION. Psalm 11:3
When a righteous man gets to a place where the foundation is destroyed, he will not throw up his hands in despair. Please, permit me to bring you back to the history of our own nation in the religious aspect. In the 1960s, we had the civil war, with people scattered here and there and crimes rising up. The churches had nowhere to stand talking of salvation, faith, healing, holiness without which no man shall see the Lord, talking of reading the Bible or applying the word of God in the lives the people, the foundation of the church was destroyed. Talking about one man, one woman (monogamy) righteousness, probity and transparency in the offices, things were down.
Then, God raised some of us up and Deeper Christian Life Ministry started with Bible study. We did not say what can we do and go hurdled into a corner, rather, we went all out, contending for the faith once delivered unto the saints. It is like a righteous ruler taking over and wanting to do what God has called him for. A repairer comes, and decides to repair, a restorer comes and says God has raised me up to restore, and I must do it. A reformer comes – look at the example of Martin Luther King when he came, the foundation of justification by faith has been destroyed but he did not throw up his hands in despair, claiming to be a Lone Ranger, but he said, the righteous must do something.
So, today, God has called you after Deeper Life came, you have a platform on which to stand, and you can go everywhere preaching the word and re-emphasizing the word of holiness and righteousness. Let a righteous man and woman rise up. As you look at history, if a righteous man does not stand up, if a repairer, restorer, reformer and revivalist does not rise up, everything will go down the drain.
Apart from the religious aspect, do you remember in America, when the blacks were downtrodden, when they had no voice or place, and they could not go to the same schools with the white, somebody rose up and said something must be done, he rose up against that foundation that was destroyed. Martin Luther King Jr and some people went with him and they kept on until things turned around and even recently, a black man became the president of America. It takes somebody who is bold, who has backbone to say I will build the scattered and destroyed foundation.
- What can the Righteous Do?
When the foundations are destroyed and people do not know anymore what is the truth and the way:
Job 17:9. The righteous will hold on his way and he that has clean hands will be stronger and stronger. If you do not hold on to righteousness, holiness and purity of life, how can you repair anything?
Isaiah 51:1-2. You have to hold on and believe in righteousness, knowing fully well that the foundation of righteousness has been destroyed. If you are the righteous one as a man, woman or youth, and you say, I will do something, you have to underline the word ‘alone’ in the text above. God called Abraham alone.
In 1973, when we started Deeper Christian Life Ministry, I had to stand alone. The church I was attending then did not agree with or understand what I was doing. Persecutions came, friends left and forsook me, my name became household mentions, everywhere they make announcements, they mention my name as the holiness, holiness man, and made jest and ridiculed me.
I stood alone. God is calling you now. If you have conviction, the righteous man to do something must be willing to stand alone and not mind the persecution, insults and assaults of anyone. God who called you will bless you. Amen.
ch 62:6-7. What will the righteous do? You will stand firmly and speak out against error, falsehood, false doctrines or anyone not standing on the truth of the word of God. Do not be friends with or compromise with those destroying the foundation. You will always take the case of our church and nation to Lord in prayer.
What will the righteous do? Are you righteous, born again? Then do something so that the foundation that has been destroyed will be raised up again.
- What will the Repairers Do?
When the foundation is destroyed, do not keep on preaching, singing, ushering, ministering, labouring. You must stop and do something, otherwise, you labour in vain.
You must rise up and talk. Rise up as a repairer (Isaiah 58:12) When the Lord raised me up, I started preaching and now, we have Deeper Life Bible Church, then the Lord raised up leaders, and workers in the men, women, youth and children sections. These are the people whom God has given to me. All the people who are raised up and will take the torch and word of truth everywhere are to build the old waste places. You are to raise up the foundation of many generations. You shall be the repairer and restorer. Amen.
ch 58:1. Do not speak under your breath, as if you are not sure of what you are saying, cry aloud! Spare not! (vs 2) People go to church, go to retreats and conventions, pray, fast, seek the Lord, but have no foundation of righteousness, holiness, redemption, they are living a life with reproach and sin. They pretend to be righteous, but forsook the ordinances, they like seeking God but they will not do what He commands.
Nehemiah 1:4-6. Nehemiah investigated about the state of things back home, He interceded and then left the lucrative job he was doing and came home to repair the walls of Jerusalem. You must give up something to sacrifice to be a repairer, reformer and restorer. You need to be ready to do what others are not willing to do for you to be able to repair the broken foundation.
After investigating, Nehemiah called people to help him by assigning work to them, kept at the work, not minding several distractions from detractors. He challenged the oppressors and made them promise to stop oppressing and cheating the people. Even when he was told to hide, he did not, saying someone such as himself must not hide. He brought out the word of God and read to the hearing of the people and they cried, and repented. In the final chapter, when some people were not living right and compromising, he adjusted everything and restored the standard of the worship of God. This is what God is calling us to.
- What must Restorers Do?
God has called you and I and He wants us to be restorers and reformers (Hebrews 8:5) What must restorers do? Go back to the pattern given to us by God and emphasized by Christ, the apostles and the prophets. Jesus Christ is the Chief Cornerstone, the restorers must go back to this and ensure that they build and establish all things according to the pattern shown to them.
Apostle Paul had preached to and was surprised at the Galatians when he saw them shifting and replacing the foundation. He did not allow them any chance to shift the foundation further. We must allow anyone to remove the foundation of justification by faith, of holiness, and just preaching good, good things. He corrected them in love but firmly that they must do away with the leaven of sin and unrighteousness. He restored the fallen ones in love, and lived a life of crucifixion with Christ. This is what they did when they had the restoration.
2 Chronicles 19:4-5. Earlier, Jehoshaphat had gone to battle with Ahab in an unequal yoke. He went to the battle with him and almost died there. When he came back and realized his error, he decided to bring the people he has misled back to righteousness and rebuild the foundations that have been broken.
vs 6. He commanded the judges to be fair in their judgments because God is not a respecter of persons. I marvel today at church leaders who talk as if they are the final authority, above the law and even above God. That is a dangerous state to be in. The Lord wants us to return to the truth and revelation of the word of His word.
- THE WILLINGNESS TO REINFORCE AND DEFEND THE RESTORED FOUNDATION. Psalm 11:4; Daniel 11:32
The righteous must be willing to reinforce the foundation when it is restored.
How does a minister, pastor, shepherd, founder, overseer gets to destroy the foundation and the work of God? When people of the world flatter and appreciate us to the point that we let our guards down, corrupt the covenant and allow the foundation to be destroyed. It is a bait! Those who have been corrupted by flattery will also do same to others, lifting them high to the point that they will not be able to correct them when they go into error. God will help you to remain strong, you will not be among those destroying the foundations.
Ephesians 6:10. If you are going to be a repairer and restorer, you must not be afraid to speak against unrighteousness, compromise, you must be strong in your might, and backbone. If there is a time to stand, it is now.
- Declare the Doctrines of Full Redemption. 1 Timothy 4:6
In your preaching, do you preach salvation, and being new creatures in Christ? Do you mention holiness, believing the word and not compromising? Put the brethren, church and believers in remembrance always, do not say they know it already. “Follow peace with all men and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” – remind all around you: your spouse, children, workers, members, etc.
vs 15. Meditate on everything you are hearing today about the foundation being destroyed, displaced, ruined and corrupted. Everything you are hearing about becoming a righteous and uncorrupted soldier of the cross, a repairer, reformer and restorer. Meditate on all that is happening in our nation and continent and what the word of God is saying about them. Do not come to the pulpit half heartedly, shallow, almost sleeping and dozing, or in fear that you cannot stand or maintain sound doctrine. Give yourself wholly and entirely to the word of God.
vs 16. Take heed to thyself. Do not go after compromisers, do not support or befriend false prophets or those who are not obeying the word of God. Follow the doctrines of full redemption and continue in them.
- Develop the Disciples for Further Reinforcements. 2 Timothy 2:2
You cannot do the work alone, you have to commit the work into the hands of faithful men who are courageous and bold. Do not change the word: Jesus only is our message. Commit things to people who are faithful and standing, who will not look at people’s faces before saying what they are supposed to say, not the ones shifting here and there. Do not waste your life on unfaithful people.
Exodus 18:19-20. Do not get involved with anything that will not allow the people to be closer to God, living, or standing for God. Give them work to do (vs 21) For someone to remain in ministry, he must be able and capable, strong, have backbone, and have the ability to think well and analyze situations, men and women with ability.
If I do not have physical ability or strength and cannot read my Bible well, and I have eye problem even with glasses on, or I am weak physically, and I am not able bodied, and I find it difficult to step aside for someone younger to do the work better, if I do not do this and I keep the church in bondage, that is selfish, sinful and not right. It means I have put the work of God at risk because of my selfishness.
The Israelites were in their millions and Jethro, Moses’s father in law counseled him to appoint Overseers to be rulers over thousands, hundreds and fifties to assist in the work with supervision coming from Moses. This is how to do the work in the church today with proper supervision from the top leadership.
1 Samuel 8:11-12
11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.
12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
In asking for a king, God told the Israelites how the king will operate as seen in the text above. All the various appointments the king will make will be solely for himself, and not for God.
Some preachers, pastors, overseers that are supposed to organize and arrange to get people who will be faithful to God, will appoint leaders here and there to serve themselves. Saul appointed three thousand men as soldiers, not to fight the battle of the Lord, but to help him pursue after David his enemy. All he wanted to do became personal. This is what the Lord is telling us to not do. You know it is for self once you see anyone doing everything to his own advantage and not towards the progress of the work of God, when they open shops, farms all for personal purpose, instead of developing and raising people up to help and establish the wok of God, as Moses, David and Paul did.
- Demonstrate the Devotion of Former Reformers
Martin Luther was a reformer who rose up to fight against the dogmas of the religion of those days. Through him, the Protestant Church was formed. Though by now, some of them have deviated into error, yet God is telling us to remember the devotion of this former reformer.
John Wesley stood firmly preaching the word of God. He went up and down and established once again the doctrines of holiness and sanctification.
You remember Charles G. Finney who also rose up, preaching and emphasizing on salvation, sanctification and Holy Ghost baptism.
Our time has come and God will help us to emphasize the truth of the word of God which He has called us unto. Amen.
Jude vs 3
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Give all your heart, strength, ability, the last strength and drop of blood in you to the work of God. Do not say you are keeping yourself or watching this or that. If you are not diligent, that means you are not able, you might as well give the chance to younger reformers and visionary people who will be able to stand up and work harder and better.
We should teach and emphasize all that the Lord has delivered unto us, the totality of the word of God that will help the people to conversion and reconciliation with God, to embrace the power of God, words that lead people to holy and righteous living, the power in the Holy Ghost, holding on to the word of God, not allowing a jot or title to fall to the ground.
The Lord is calling you today as a righteous and holy man and woman because the foundation is being eroded. The Lord is calling you as a reformer and restorer to come with strength and energy, consecration and devotion. You cannot say you do not see people taking the back seat and the coldness and lukewarmness in the church, but you can tell the Lord tonight that you are here and available.
Pray and tell the Lord, here I come. Re-examine your consecration of righteousness and holiness starting from your personal life and ministry to your local church, region, state and nation where you are ministering. Is the foundation of faith and devotion still there? Are you still faithful? Pray for yourself.
