Be not Unequally Yoked...

2 Corinthians 6:14, ' Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?' This Scripture unlocks marvellous truths that helps us understand Fellowship and therefore, who we  can have Fellowship with!

Be not Unequally Yoked!

This is an old testament concept where God commanded that Animals of different breeds and kinds should not be Yoked together! This even applied to clothing; no two kinds of Fabric were to be used! Thank God for Christ! Well, as a result, you had two yoke of Oxen, not an Ox and a Donkey.

This is Why I say Fellowship cannot be between dogs and cats! The next verses tell us that to have intimate dealings with an unbeliever is forbidden! Why? It's an aberration of nature!

Fellowship Defines!

The next truth we see in this verse and the ones that follow is that God, our Creator defines who we are and what the unbeliever is! This shows us How Fellowship is impossible in a union to these distinct two! God calls the Believer, Light; the Unbeliever is darkness! God calls the Believer, Righteousness; the Unbeliever is unrighteousness! God calls the Believer, Christ; the unbeliever is Belial! The Believer is the temple of God, the unbeliever is the temple of Idols!

God has united us to the Lord Jesus! He is the head, we are the body! This new creation is called Christ! Therefore, the Believer is Christ! That's Why we shouldn't fornicate, We are joined to the Lord and therefore cannot make Christ, one with a harlot! Glory to God that we have been 'Ginomai' the Lord! #Fellowship #GreaterGlo

Ye are Gods! - Part 3

We are in Fellowship with God; a relationship between beings of the same kind! Many shudder at the thought of being called a god. Yesterday, I established that divinity is not about being Worshipped but about possessing the divine nature. Today, I wrap up these series with a special teaching titled: Partakers of the Divine Nature!

Partakers of the Divine Nature!

2 Peter 1:4, 'Through these things he has bestowed on us his precious and most magnificent  promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, seeing that you have escaped the corruption that is in the world caused by evil desires.' I would like you to notice the construction: Through his precious  and most magnificient promises...we are made Partakers of the divine nature.. Precious  and most magnificent  promises! Whew! These are God's pronouncements of the highest kind by which he has made us sharers in the divine nature! An example of such promises are in 2 Corinthians 6:17. But, what does it mean to be a partaker of the divine nature? The Word, 'Partaker' is from the Greek, 'Koinonos' which means 'fellow, partner, associate'. The Word, 'divine', is derived from the Greek, 'Theios', meaning 'pertaining to God, describing God.' The Word, 'nature' is the Greek, 'Phusis', meaning, 'nature, kind, species, constitution'. Putting these together, we understand that we are associates of the God nature, therefore, we are divine! Some agree that we are Partakers of the divine nature, but it doesn't mean we are Gods or divine. Let me help such folks understand the Scriptures. Hebrews 2:14: Forasmuch  then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood ,he also  himself likewise  took part of the same ; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death ,that is ,the devil. The Children were 'Partakers' of flesh and blood. The Word, 'Partakers' is 'Koinoneo'; same family as 'Koinonos' and meaning the same thing. The Children being Partakers of Flesh and blood means that they were what? Flesh and blood! And Jesus partook of same; meaning what? He became Flesh and blood! This describes the Humanity of Jesus as he walked on this earth. I said this to say this: If we are Partakers of the divine nature, it could only mean we are divine! This is to the Father's Glory! We are Vital sons of God, therefore, we are Gods! Many that oppose this do not understand it, therefore, they cannot ask the right questions. This concludes our, 'Ye are Gods!' Series. I trust you were enlightened, inspired and poised to demonstrate to the world the divine excellencies of God, your heavenly Father! #Fellowship #GreaterGlory

Born of the Spirit... to look like the Spirit!

The Word of God is unambiguous in it's description of the character of the New Creation. John 3:6, ' That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.' This tells us the character of the progenitor determines the character of the offspring! Get this: You look like the Holy Ghost! It's upon  this premise we can have Fellowship with the Holy Ghost; it's a communion of Spirits! It's amazing! Did you know you can share similar sentiments with the Holy Ghost? Acts 15:28, ' For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost,and to us,..' What a communion! In this communion, we express the character of the Spirit of God to the World! We have become his agencies of the reconciliation. Never see yourself apart from the Spirit; you are one with him now - 1 Corinthians 6:17! One of the best ways to maximize our Fellowship is to recognize Who God is, Who we are and make commensurate confessions of same! It's an act that deepens our Fellowship and opens us to a greater revelation of God! Enjoy your divine Fellowship today! #Fellowship #GreaterGlory

The Defining power of Fellowship.

Fellowship among other things, is defining. When you attend a meeting of the Nigerian Medical Association as a member, it will mean you are a doctor. In Fellowship, there is a revelation of the identity of those in Fellowship. That's why we are sons of God; we were called unto the Fellowship of his son! We are divine, because we are made partakers of the divine nature! We need to receive revelation of God from the Spirit; it's God with whom you are in Fellowship with! In this revelation of God, is a revelation of ourselves- Ephesians 1:16-23. Thanks be unto God for calling us unto Fellowship with himself! #Fellowship #GreaterGlory

The Divine Union!

We are in a Union with the Lord! Romans 7:4 gives a mind blowing insight into this lofty reality: Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. This is remarkable! But, when you study it in the Greek, you find it's Outrageous what is being revealed! The Word, 'Married' in the Greek doesn't have any thing to do with Marital rights or any such! The Word used is, 'Ginomai', it means to be made! Putting this in the verse, it'll read, '....and be MADE another... ' While asking the Lord about this, he said in passing, if men understood this, they'd have no problems in their marriages; your wife has become you! Anyways, we  have come into a oneness of identity with him! That is the only way we can really fulfill his dreams for our lives! We are 'Made' the Lord, we are his fullness in this World! He that is joined unto the Lord is one Spirit -1 Corinthians 6:17. Next, we are told the purpose of this Union: to bring forth fruit unto God! What does that mean? We are told in science that the life of a baby comes from the Father, the body (which is a means of expression ) comes from the Woman! In this divine union, Jesus supplies the Life, we give it expression! We reveal the Character of Zoe in this languishing World; that's the purpose of this Fellowship! What a life! #Fellowship #GreaterGlory

A Fellowship of Love!

Christianity, according to God's design wasn't to be a religion; it was designed to be a fellowship of Love! A religion is a superficial way of relating with God with assumptions as a core value! Christianity is a fellowship with love! God started us out; he loved us! That's the Love worth considering! Christianity is not about proving our love for God but recognizing, responding to and reflecting his love for us! God loves us, we are to accept God's love and to include others in it! That's why we preach the Gospel; It's a revelation of love! It pains me that many don't understand the Love of God! If they did, the messages of sin and condemnation will not be preached! Many just reflect the thoughts they have of God! All they need is to know the unconditional love of God! If we preached the true Gospel; the Good news of his Grace motivated by love, we'd see healings, miracles and the power of sin broken over people! It's a fellowship of love, one where we receive God's love and give it to others! When we walk in love, we'd truly experience fellowship with God! What a call; the call to love! #Fellowship #GreaterGlory

Know who you are in fellowship with!

As I study the Word, I am enthralled at the immensity of God's love expressed to us in calling us unto a fellowship with himself! Truly, fellowship is defining; it reveals who we are. Today, my mind is on something special. It's understanding what we have become having been called unto fellowship with God! I believe it's because many believers do not know who they are in fellowship with! In Luke 9:51-56, Jesus got a cold shoulder reception from a village. With righteous indignation, James and John asks the Lord for them to call down fire from heaven. Verse 55 gives the Lord's response: 'But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of'. This meant that they acted the way they did because they lacked understand of what manner of Spirit they were of or as I like to put it: Who they were in fellowship with! But bless God, John knew later on. In 1 John 1:3, he says  '.. and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.' This was his claim to walking in love! By recognizing who he was in fellowship with, he that was fierce, became the Apostle of Love!

My point is, we have been taught to see ourselves apart from God and Christ, and see ourselves as unworthy, depraved and destitute of good! This is why many still struggle with sin. Yet, God has created us in Christ, and we are: HOLY, RIGHTEOUS AND IRREPROACHABLE! We see ourselves apart from God rather than in God! How wrong we have been! We are in fellowship with God! Therefore, we are righteous because he is righteous! Holy because he is Holy! Our lives and natures are in resonance with him! This is the beauty of fellowship! Look into God's mirror today! Call yourself what he calls you! See yourself as his reflection in the World! Glory to God for this! #Fellowship #GreaterGlory

Elements of Fellowship - Part 2.

In the first part of this teaching, we discussed the elements of Fellowship. We focused on Sameness. Today, we move over to a second element; Language.

Language.

Every Society and fraternity has it's unique language. By this language, there is effective participation and communication! Our heavenly society has a language; a language inspired by the mystery of the Gospel! 1 Corinthians 2:6,  ' Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect:..' It further goes on to say, this wisdom is spoken in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained to our glory! Isaiah 33:24, ' And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick..' As children of God, there is what we are to say or not to say. Language is a tool of expression; we express our character through it! Therefore, since we have a Character of limitlessness, we declare words consistent with same! By looking into God's mirror, we see who we really are, and this influences our language! Therefore, we are able to have fellowship with God functionally! #Fellowship #GreaterGlory

Elements of Fellowship - Part 1

There are elements of fellowship; Sameness, Language, Partnership, Participation etc. These are the defining character of Fellowship as a relationship! The First element to consider is Sameness.

Sameness

We have established that Fellowship is between equals, those with same nature. Hebrews 2:11 tells us, ' For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,'. This is powerful! We are all of one! We are of SAME stock! Based on this, Jesus can call us brethren! The Word, 'Brethren' is 'adelphos' in the Greek. It means brethren, associates, partners. All because, 'WE ARE ALL OF ONE'. We are same as he is! Romans 8:29. Glory to God for this! #Fellowship #GreaterGlory

The Two dimensions to Fellowship - Part 2

In the first part of this teaching, we looked at the first dimension: Positional Fellowship. We learnt that our positions in Christ have brought us fellowship with God! Now, I'd like us to consider the functional aspect of Fellowship.

Functional Fellowship.

You know, it's one thing to be born a human being and it's another to act accordingly. Based on our new natures in Christ, we are associates with God in the divine nature. But, we also have to 'Function' in the divine nature. By so doing, we come to maximum utilization  of our new natures in Christ. How do we function in the divine nature? 1 John 1:7, ' But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.' By walking in the light, we enjoy functional fellowship with the Lord! But, what's this light? 1 John 2:10, ' He that loveth his brother abideth in the light...' Walking in love is enjoying fellowship with God in light! You see, Jesus came to reveal two things. He came to reveal the life of God; Zoe. He also came to reveal the lifestyle of God; Agape! Jesus revealed Zoe, which is eternal life. He also revealed Agape, the God kind of love! We have been fitted by Grace to walk in love! All we need to do is to acknowledge it's presence in us and walk accordingly! Glory to God! #Fellowship #GreaterGlory

The Two dimensions to Fellowship - Part 1

We have been called unto a unique relationship with God, it's called FELLOWSHIP. As we have made clear, a fellowship is a relationship between equals; those with a commonness of Sameness. To fully participate in Fellowship, there is need to understand the two dimensions to Fellowship. They are the  Positional and Functional dimensions. In this part, we would be considering the positional aspect of Fellowship.

Positional Fellowship

This is the underlying premise of our divine Fellowship. It's Fellowship based on our position in Christ. It's got nothing to do with our actions. It's about God's declarations unto whosoever believes in Christ Jesus! John 1:12 tells,  ' But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:' This Scripture tells us by believing in Christ, we became Sons of God; literal reproductions of God! Let's look at another Scripture in 2 Peter 1:4, ' Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature,...' We have been granted exceeding Great and precious promises that have become the reasons why we are in  Fellowship with God!  An example is found in 2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1 tells us, ' And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.' See? He called us sons! Based on these, we are in Fellowship with God!

Meditate on these today and always! #Fellowship #GreaterGlory