You are invited to Foursquare gospel Church Abakpa, Enugu, where Jesus Christ saves, heals, baptizes with Holy Ghost and fire, and prepares people for eternity with God in His heavenly kingdom.

In Foursquare gospel Church, we believe that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, the same today,and the same forever. He is the only Savior, the healer of all manner of sickness and diseases, the baptizer with Holy Ghost and fire, and the soon coming king. What He did in the Bible days, He can do, and is doing today, and will do in your life, if you believe.

Enugu City Wide Crusade

Our G.O Rev Felix Meduoye will be coming to Enugu for a city wide crusade. Its going to be glorious in His presence. Dont miss out

TOPIC: THE KING OF THE KINGDOM. TEXT: (ISAIAH 9:6-7). This month, we have been speaking on the kingdom life. We have learnt that "kingdom" is a domain where a king rules and reigns; that "the kingdom life" is the life, life-style, culture, values in the domain were the king rules and reigns, and "the kingdom life", as our subject matter, refers to the life in the kingdom of heaven, that is, the domain where Christ Jesus rules and reigns as king. We have also noted that the personality of the king determines both the nature of His kingdom and his kingdom life. Just as it is written, "like priest, like people"; so, it is "like king, like people". Hence, today's message is about the king of the kingdom where the kind of life we have been talking about is practiced. Who is the king of the kingdom of whose kingdom life we are to live? That king is not like any other king. He is unique in every way. He is so unique that even His birth was announced by the appearance of special star, which was seen by only few individuals, the wise men from the east, and the angels who heralded it to shepherds living in the field, keeping watch over their sheep by night, and was celebrated first, by the angels and the host of heaven and now is being celebrated by friends and foes all over the world. Today, again, the world is celebrating His birth. Who is this King? A. He is a child born to us (Isa.9:6; Mt.1:21-23). 1. He has birthday, a history and a mission. B. He is a Son given to us (Isa.9:6; Jn.3:16-21). 1. He is a Divine gift, to humanity, for a Divine purpose. The purpose which was symbolised by the two names given to Him: Jesus, which is to show He came to save His people from their sin, and Emmanuel, which by interpretation means He came to restore to man the presence of God. 2. As a Son given, He is Divine and as a Child born, He is human. Thus, He is Divinity in Humanity. God in Human form (Jn.1:1-3,14), that's why He was in the world He created and the world did not know Him. The world did not know Him because He did not come like the creator, but was made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man, He made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Himself the form of a servant, and humbled Himself. He came to His own and His own did not receive Him, but as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even unto them that believe on His name (1:10-12). His own did not receive Him because He did not come to them as their God, but as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground, He had no form nor comeliness; when they saw Him there was no beauty that they should desire Him. He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, and so they hid as it were their face from Him; He was despised, and they esteemed Him not (Isa.53:2-3). C. The government will be upon His shoulder (Isa.9:6; 1. That means He will have the power to make and/or enforce laws to control the kingdom. 2. He is the One who holds a monopoly on the legitimate use of force in the kingdom. 3. The kingdom and its adminstration, management or control of its system are upon Him. 4. In summary, He is the One totally in charge and in control of the kingdom; He is the beginning and end of the kingdom. He is the One who has the power and authority to determines what happens in the kingdom. Nothing works without Him in the kingdom. He is the soul of the kingdom: the life of the kingdom (Jn.14:6; 8:12). Without Him the kingdom has no life (Jn.1:4; 1Jn.5:11-13). To have the kingdom life one has to abide in Him (Jn.15:5). He is the author and finisher of our faith, therefore, we shall keep looking unto Him, if we are to live the kingdom life without a failure (Heb.12:1-2). Hence, it is written, the just shall live by faith-by totally depending on Jesus Christ (Heb.10:38-39; 3:6-19). The kingdom life, therefore, is Christ living in a man, which is possible only when a man is crucified with Christ (Gal.2:20; Rom.6:6-7). D. His personality and identity: By knowing His kind of person and identity, we will know His kingdom life. 1. Wonderful He is somebody who excite wonder; who is surprising, extraordinary, great, amazing, astonishing, incredible, marvelous, fantastic, surprisingly excellent, very good, admirable, extremely impressive. If He is wonderful, then His kingdom life is wonderful, and every citizen of His kingdom will have and live a wonderful life. A life that is surprising, surprising because its kind is rare among men; extraordinary, because it is far beyond the ordinary life common to man; very good, because it is the life of Him who is light and in whom is no darkness at all (1Jn.1:5-6); admirable and extremely impressive, because by living this life one becomes a shinning light, that shines brighter and brighter unto the perfect day and until one becomes an object of attraction for God unto man and glory to God from man (Pr.4:18; Mt.5:14-16; Isa.60:1-3). 2. Counsellor One who provides guidance. He shows the way and control the path of the people of the kingdom. The kingdom life is the life under the guidance and control of Jesus Christ. To live the kingdom life requires total trust in the Lord (Pro.3:5-6). Kingdom life is living by the counsel, the word of God (Ps.119:105). One lives by the word or counsel of God by taking every step in life in accordance with the word of God and living through life following a path guided by the word of God. 3. Mighty God He is Divine, Supreme, the very God of the very God. This talks about His Deity and ability. He is God who is mighty; meaning, He is influential, powerful, very strong, possessing might. He has ability to do things. What are they? He is able to keep that which is committed unto Him (2Tim.1:12). He is able to perform what He has promised (Rom.4:21). He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him (Heb.7:25). He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think (Eph.3:20). With Him all things are possible and nothing shall be impossible (Mt.19:26; Lk.1:36-37). So, He is dependable, reliable and a trustworthy king. Those who trust in Him will not be disappointed (Rom.10:11; 1Pet.2:6). And those who carry His kingdom life all things are possible to them (Mk.9:23). 4. Everlasting Father This talks about our relationship with Him. He is a Father to us, whose fatherhood is forever. He is not a tyrant, a hash, cruel or an oppressive ruler, but a Father. Not a task master, but a Father. He rules His kingdom with fatherly love and care. Living in His kingdom is to live under an everlasting Father for everlasting love and care. His nature is love, anyone born of Him is a partaker of His nature and therefore loves naturally 1Jn.4:7-8; 2Pet.1:4). One of the features of the kingdom life is love. 5. Prince of peace He is a royalty who is composed and made of peace. Everything about Him is peace. He is characterised with peace. So His kingdom is the kingdom of peace. His kingdom life is a life of peace. Whoever lives His kingdom life has entered into His rest (Heb.3-4). Kingdom life is a life void of worries and anxiety. A life careful for nothing! E. The nature of His government. 1. Ever increasing and peaceful The kingdom will begin small but will not remain small, rather will ever be increasing (Dan.2:44-45; Mt.13:31-33). Kingdom life is given birth to, as a baby, and goes through the process of growth, to a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness Christ (Jn.3:3-6;1Pet.2:2; Eph.4:13). 2. Righteousness and justice His kingdom is characterised by righteousness and justice. He rules His kingdom in righteousness and with justice. That means He rules His kingdom by following the rule of law. The rule of law He follows in governing His kingdom is the word of God (Heb.10:7). He is the word incarnate (Jn.1:14). As such the word is what controls His kingdom. His kingdom life is a life controlled by the word of God. Every Christian is to be an epistle of Christ, a living word of Christ, as Christ is the living word of God (2Cor.3:1-3). Righteousness is the scepter of His kingdom (Heb.1:8). The authority and power with which His kingdom operates is righteousness. Thus, to have His kingdom life is to have His kingdom power and authority (Lk.9:1; 10:19). Nobody can access and operate in His kingdom without His kingdom life. That's why you must be born again to see and enter His kingdom (Jn.3:3-6). 3. Order and stable He shall rules upon the throne of David to order and to establish His kingdom. This He will achieve by ruling in righteousness and justice. To experience peace, order and stability in any kingdom, nation, or society those who rules must rule in righteousness and justice. A kingdom or a nation where the rule of law is not strictly adhered to will never know peace or stability. Any Church or Christian organization where the Bible, the word of God is not strictly followed will never have peace or stability. Thus, the kingdom life is the life ruled by the word of God, both the living and the written word of God. In conclusion, Christmas is the celebration of a Child born to us. Our celebration will not be meaningful unless we know that the Child born to us is also a Son given to us that through Him we will have everlasting life, the kingdom life, as His kingdom citizens, and enter His kingdom to enjoy His peace, His fatherly love and care, righteousness and justice, order and stability. The things which are lacking in the world, the lack of which the world is in turmoil. Christmas is a celebration of a king born to us as a child, given to us as a Son for our redemption, salvation, sanctification and elevation. It is a celebration of a new king, a new kingdom and a new life. A life of wonder, counsel, peace, power and authority, order and stability. A life of Christ! God's kind of life!! Receive this life today!!! Believe and receive Christ as your king, your Lord and savior and this life will be all yours. Merry Christmas!

All Things Works Together For Our Glory. Even when our condition is too bad, that there seems to be no sign of glory, either now or in the future, the scripture says, "but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is for a moment, works for us a far more exceedingly and eternal weight of glory" (2Cor.4:16-17). All thing works together for our good, for our glory (Rom.8:28). Like it happened to Joseph. What was meant for evil unto him, God turned for his good, for his glory (Isa.50:20). Brethren, this is why we must not faint or be discouraged when we face some adverse situations. "If you are reproached for the name of Christ, happy are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you..."(1Pet.4:14). When apostle Paul besought God for the thorn in his flesh to be removed, and God responded by telling him that His grace was sufficient for him; for His strength is made perfect in weakness. In excitement, he exclaimed, "most gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong" (2Cor.12:7-10). It is like God uses some adversities to bring out the glory treasured in us to physical manifestation (2Cor.4:7-11). It takes some adversities for a believer to always be bearing about in his body the dying of Jesus that the life of Jesus Christ to manifest in his body. It takes a believer being always delivered unto death for Christ's sake, for the life of Christ to manifest in his mortal body. In other words, no cross, no crown! No death, no fruitfulness (Jn.12:24). As raw gold, except we go through fire our true worth will not show (Job.23:10; 1Cor.3:13; 1Pet.1:7). Adverse condition is not meant to destroy us but to show the work and the glory of God (Jon.9:1-3; 11:1-4). Therefore, we are to face every adversity and adversary that come to us, and not flee from it (Eph.6:12-18; 1Pet.5:8-9). We are to face adversity not with fear, guilty conscience, complaining, and murmuring, but with faith and the understanding that it is working for our good; this will boost our moral and give us victory (Heb.12:1-14; 1Jn.5:4-5).

THEME: APPREHENDED TEXT: (PHIL.3:12-13). The word apprehend means: to take or seize; to take hold of; to arrest, to capture. Who was apprehended, and by who? Believers were the ones apprehended, and by Christ. And there is something for which they were apprehended. Following the definition given for the word "apprehend", it shows that, as believers, our lives have been taken over, and seized by Christ; that we have been arrested or captured by Christ. That means we are not free to live as we like, go wherever we like, eat what and when we like. We are now captives of Christ, to live as He wills, and to have and enjoy only what He approves and provides. We, by this truth, are supposed to live a regimented kind of life: A military kind of life, which is following a disciplined and orderly way of living. Paul saw himself and did introduce himself as both the bond servant of Jesus Christ and as a prisoner of Christ (Rom.1:1; Phile.1:1). For this reason, he sought not to please men, for according to him, "for do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I speak to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ (Gal.1:10). To him, to live is Christ and to die is gain (Phi.1:21). No believer should see himself as having arrived, either already perfect or count himself to have apprehended unless, and until he has apprehended that for which he was apprehended of Christ. So the question is, what is that for which we were apprehended of Christ? Knowing this will give our lives a meaning and a focus, and help us live a disciplined life. It did so to Paul the apostle, for he said, "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Phi.3:12-14) Paul the apostle knew that there was something for which he was apprehended of Christ Jesus, there was something for which he was saved, or born again; and he was determined, committed and focused on apprehending the same. He so valued it that pursuing after it became only one thing he was committed to. He counted other things but loss and suffered the loss all things, and did count them but dung just to possess it. Because of it he refused to be distracted. His eyes were fixed on reaching those things which were ahead, that he had to forget those things which were behind. In fact, he saw it as the goal of his life, and the high calling of God for him in Christ Jesus. He saw himself as an athlete who was in a race to win a price which will be possible only if he could reach the mark. So, he run that he may obtain the prize. He therefore did not run like a man running aimlessly, and fight not as one that beats the air. No, he beat his body and make it his slave so that after he has preached to others, he himself will not be disqualified for the prize (1Vor.9:24-27). Therefore to him nothing else matters. Nothing else worth his time, his attention, his consideration, or his pursuit more than apprehending that for which he was apprehended of Christ Jesus. He can sacrifice other things for it, but he cannot sacrifice it for anything. To him reaching the mark for the price was the ultimate and what he must press on to, come rain, come shine, even if it means beating his body and making it his slave. He went after it single mindedly and with a very strong determination and self discipline. He actually reached the mark, he attained the goal, he apprehended that for which he was apprehended of Christ Jesus, and was sure of receiving the prize. For he said, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto them also that love his appearing." (2Tim.4:7-8). The same thing for which Christ Jesus laid hold of Paul and made him His own is the same thing for which He has laid hold of us and made us His own. For Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever (Heb.13:8). He has not changed and He will never change. He told Joshua, and said, "as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.." (Josh.1:5). What is that thing? What is the reason for salvation? Why are we Christians? To understand the actual reason for salvation we need to understand the need for salvation. Why is salvation a necessity for every man? The fall of man. We need salvation because of the fall of man. Salvation is a need for every man "for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom.3:23). "As it is written, there is none that is righteous, no, not one" (Rom.3:10). "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquity, like the wind, have taken us away" (Isaiah 64:6). The fall of man means that man has fallen from his original position, fallen from his original standard, from his original state of being. Man was originally made in the image of God and after His likeness (Gen.1:26-27). If man was made in the image of God and after His likeness, then man occupied the same position with God, shared the same glory with God-measured up to God's standard, and was in the same state of being like God; in a simple term, as God is, so was man before the fall. So what was that for which we were apprehended of Christ Jesus? It is to be restored to our original position, standard and state of being that man was before the fall. Among other beings and creatures both in heaven and on earth only man was in the same class with God, only man can relate with God. When man sinned he fell from that position of being like God. He lost the image of God and therefore was no longer like God and can no longer relate with God. Sin separated man from God (Isa.59:2). He was lost! Lost in sin!! Like the earth in Genesis chapter one verse two, man was engulfed in darkness, an inky blackness, which also resulted, like in the case of the earth, in man loosing his shape and content. Man became formless and empty; an empty waste; formless and desolate; shapeless and chaotic; a soup of nothingness; a barren with no form of life; useless empty (Gen.1:1-2). All these expressions explained the true condition of man in his fallen nature. Remember that it was something that God formed with the dust of the earth and breathed into it the breath of life that became a living soul-a human being. In other words, the man created in the image of God is not the human body, but the human spirit. It is the Spirit of God breathed into the nostril of that thing molded by God with the dust of the earth that is man created in the image of God and after His likeness, for that is what made man became a living soul. The body is just the container of the real man. The body was made from the earth that once was formless and empty because it was engulfed in darkness. Proving that without the Spirit of God, the body is useless and empty-that there is nothing good that dwells in the human body without the Spirit of God (Rom.8:18). At the fall of man the Spirit of God left man, the man died. At the fall of man, man was engulfed in darkness and the result was formless and emptiness. When man lost being in the image of God and after His likeness, he lost all. He lost his identity and his personality, he lost his being. The Bible says that it is in God we live , move and have our being (Acts 17:28). And that when we were without Christ, we were without God and without hope in the world (Eph.2:12). The fall of man is not just fallen into sin, it is much more than that. It is fallen away from God, in whom we live, move and have our being. It is falling into lifelessness, formlessness and emptiness. It is fallen into the world of Godlessness and hopelessness. Whatever has lost its form has los its identity; there is nothing it can be identified with. It cannot be called anything because it is like nothing. Anything that is without form is nothing. When man lost the image of God, he lost his form and by losing his form, he became nothing- he lost his existence. As nothing, he became empty and useless. That is, he lacked the capacity to fulfill his purpose. Whoever has lost the indwelling Spirit of God is empty and useless. He has nothing in him. He is nothing and can do nothing. If he has anything at all, it is nothing good. So at the fall of man there was an exchange that took place. The reason the body did not fall down dead at the fall of man was because another spirit entered the body. The moment the Spirit of God left man he lost the nature of God, which is righteousness, and the moment the spirit of Satan entered him he received the nature of Satan, which is sin. Sin is the nature of Satan and whoever that sins manifests the nature of Satan; that is why the Bible says, "He that commits sin is of the Devil, for the Devil sins from the beginning." "You are of your father the Devil, and the lust of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it" (1Jon.3:8; Jn.8:44). Therefore, in man (in man's flesh or body) dwells no good thing (Rom.7:18). Nobody is taught to sin, we sin naturally. Nobody struggles to sin, but everybody struggles to do right (Rom.7:14-24). The consequences of sin are horrible and tragic. It reduced man to the level of Satan. Do you know the level of his descent? He was brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit (Isa.14:25 KJV). Amplified Bible says he shall be brought down to shoel (Hades), to the innermost recesses of the pit (the region of the dead. The Message Bible says he came down-Down with the underground dead, down to the abyss of the Pit. New living Bible says he will be brought down to the place of the dead. Satan's level of descent is the lowest level, the level of the dead. At the fall of man, man died. A dead man can do nothing. That's why Jesus said, "...for without me you can do nothing" (Jn.15:4-5). Without Jesus no man can be righteous and none can do right. This is what Jesus came to do, He came to destroy the works of the Devil (1Jn.3:8); to restore us from Satan to God, from darkness to light and from dead to life. This is what salvation is all about: restoring to us all we lost due to the fall of man. We lost God, lost our light-God's nature and our life- God's kind of life. Through salvation we are brought back again to the state man was before the fall: in the image of God and after His likeness. That's why the scripture says, "arise, shine, for your light had come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you" (Isa.60:1). What is our light that has come and the glory that has risen upon us? Our light that has come is the life in Jesus Christ and the glory of the LORD that has risen upon us is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. For the Bible says, "in him was life and the life is the light of men" (Jn.1:4). He came to restore to man the Spirit of God. So that man will regain the state of being as God is, and thereby regain his form, and his emptiness refilled. Hear what the Word says: "For whom he did foreknow, he also predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren" (Rom.8:29). Who is His Son? His Son is the brightness of His glory, the express image of His person (Heb.1:2). He is the One that whoever has seen has seen the Father (Jn.14:8-9). To be conformed to the image of His Son, therefore, is to be conformed to His (God) image, to the point of being like Him, and seeing the person is like seeing Christ or God. Again it is written, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (1Cor.6:19). Whoever is saved, his body becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit who comes to dwell in him. Salvation is both for transforming and refilling man. By new birth a man is transformed and by the baptism in the Holy Spirit he is filled. The goal of salvation is to transform us into the image of Christ and filling us with the Holy Spirit so that as He is so we shall be in the world (1Jn.4:17). What we were apprehended for is to reach the mark or the goal of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. What is the goal of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus? It is that if by any means that we might attain unto the resurrection of the dead (Phi.3:11). What resurrection of the dead is he talking about here? Let's read the same passage in amplified Bible: "that if possible I may attain to the spiritual and moral resurrection, that lifts me out from among the dead, even in the body." Paul, here, was talking about the spiritual and moral resurrection, the kind that lift him out from among the dead. The dead here refers to the place Devil was brought down to: the hell, which is the innermost recesses of the Pit-the region of the dead. In other words, he is talking about attaining full resurrection life, total transformation to a perfect man, to the measure of the fullness of Christ. A state of being whereby a believer is emptied of self-the flesh or the old nature and completely transformed into Christ-likeness. It means to be in the likeness of Christ's resurrection. It means attaining a level of spiritual and moral transformation that one can live and act as though he has already experienced resurrection from death, even while still in the body. The Word said, "For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his dead, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection" (Rom.6:5). "The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven" (1Cor.15:47-49 NIV). New birth, salvation is a beginning of a process, a process of becoming like the resurrected Jesus Christ. Our primary call was not to do, but to be. When Jesus called His disciples, He said to them, "follow me and I will make you fishers of men (Mat.4:19). When He went up on the mountain and called those He would, He ordained the twelve that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach....(Mk.3:13-15). Jesus calls people first to come to Him and those who will come, He ordain to be with Him. The reason they are to be with Him is so that He will make them. Christianity, therefore, is a call to discipleship. Discipleship is God's way of making His vessels fit for His use. A call to come to Jesus, follow and be with Him, is a call to discipleship. Every believer is called to discipleship. The great commission is all about making disciples (Mt.28:19).You are called to be a disciple! So be His disciple indeed!! You need it to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. There is prize to pay to be a disciple. They are as follows: 1. Denying self 2. Carrying your cross daily, following Christ. 3. Forsaking all 4. Take His yoke upon you and learn of Him. Discipleship is to take Jesus' yoke upon oneself and learn of Him (Mt.11:29-30). It is to be yoked together with Jesus, to have an intimate relationship with Jesus in other to be acquainted and familiar with Him. Discipleship is a training process, a learning process; it is a master or teacher and apprentice relationship. It is being united with Jesus in bearing His burden. So it requires following and being with Him in all the places, in all situations and at all times. Once a person takes Jesus' yoke upon himself he is tied to Jesus, he is bound to follow and be with Him everywhere and in every situation. "And Jesus said unto him, no man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Lk.9:62). Therefore, a disciple must deny himself, forsake all that he has and carry his cross daily and follow Christ (Lk.9:23-26,57-62; 14:25-35). Following Christ is the greatest investment you can make. Because whatever it costs you, the returns will surpass it in hundred folds. Jesus said, "very, very I say unto you, there is no man that has left house, brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or land, for my sake, and the gospel's, but he shall receive an hundred folds now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and lands, with persecution, and in the world to come eternal life" (Mk.10:29-30). Unless you are made you cannot become. Unless you have become, you cannot perform. If anybody perform without becoming, both him and what he performed will be rejected. Jesus said, "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name have done wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from me, you that work iniquity" (Matt.7:22-23). This is the mark or the goal set for every Christian to attain. This is the high calling of God in Christ Jesus which we all are apprehended for. And only those who will reach this mark will receive the prize. So, I charge you today, as a child of God, to no longer behave as though you have already attained, or were already perfect, but to be focused only on doing one thing: pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. This you do by forgetting those thing which are behind, and reaching forth to those things which are before. That is, being totally committed to everything, every experience necessary for reaching the goal set before you. It is being committed to fulfilling all righteousness required for obtaining Divine approval and anointing (Mt.3:13-17). This you shall do by: 1. Not considering yourself as having arrived. No matter your level of spiritual and moral growth, you are still not have arrived, you are still in the process of becoming; you are still in the making. so, continue to press on toward the goal. This is the time to be with the Lord, until He is formed in you. Like Elisha followed Elijah, you are to follow Jesus in discipleship relationship and training until His mantle of authority and power is fallen on you (2Kgs.2:1-13). Other sons of prophets (disciples) may be satisfied with where they are and how they are, and are surprised that you are still following the master, even when you should not, because he will soon be taken away from you, keep pressing on with Him. Even if that is going to be your last minute with Him, even when it seems you have lost it all, that all hope is lost, because time is against you having your desire fulfilled, don't stop following Him. Hear what the Bible says about Abraham: "Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, so shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. And being fully persuaded that what he has promised, he was able to perform" (Rom.4:18-21). It is he who shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved (Mt.24:13). The condition for Elisha to receive the double potion of Elijah's spirit as revealed by Elijah to Elisha was, "if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so unto you, but if not, it shall not be so" (2Kgs.2:10). The Bible says, Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is" (1Jn.3:2). Don't allow their question of mockery to discourage you. Tell them to hold their peace. You are thirsty and hungry for something, they are not. Remember, only those who are hungry and thirsty after righteousness shall be filled. And only those who are thirsty the master invites to come to Him and drink (Mt.5:6; Jn.7:37). If you can continue in your walk with the Lord until His mantle falls on you, those sons of prophets are going to bow before you. If your hunger and thirst will continue to burn and to increase to keep you looking unto Jesus, you will be filled when you least expected, and out of your innermost being shall flow rivers of the living water. Since you know that the condition for becoming like Him is that you see him as He is, keep beholding Him, keep looking unto Him, praying that the veil covering your face be removed so as you keep beholding His glory, you will be changed into the same image, from glory to glory (2Cor.3:18). By being apprehended, your number one assignment is to be with the Lord. In His presence we are made. He is the one who makes us and He cannot make us in absence. No one is authorised to leave His presence, unless he is sent forth by the Lord Himself (Mk.3:13-15). The Lord send His people to do ministry from His presence. The Lord uses only the people He is making; the people who have submitted themselves to His authority, and Lordship; those who are under His control. He does not use anybody until He has sat on him, incubating him, and is forming Himself in him. Only those who take His yoke upon themselves will bear His burden with Him. Disciples are the ones the Lord uses. 2. Counting all things as loss, and always willing to suffer the loss of all things. Whatever and whoever will hinder you from pressing on, you must count as loss and be willing to suffer it. It takes a disciple to suffer the loss of all things and do count them but dung to gain or win Christ and be found in Him. It takes also forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth to those things ahead. Our motto, as disciples, always must be: backward never and forward ever. 3. Having a single burning desire. Which is: 1. To win Christ and be found in Him 2. To know Christ and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffering, and being made conformable unto His death. What is your desire, your dream, your goal? What is your passion? What do you want to become in Christ? What are you living for that you can even die for? These are what keep you going even when the going becomes tough. Do you wonder why Elisha could follow Elijah from Gilgal to Bethel, from Bethel to Jericho, from Jericho to Jordan; traveling through the dusty desert on foot, a difficult terrain, may be some times without food or water, trekking through jungles at the risk of his life, and facing the mockery of the sons of prophets who were stationed at the each of the places they visited, and refused to tarry each time Elijah asked him to tarry at the each of these places. It was because he was hungry and thirsty for something. It was because he had a desire. Do you wonder why Joseph, the beloved of his father, the one his father gave a cloth of many colours, could go through the humiliating experience of being sold as a slave to Potipher, and in the Potipher's house he served without any feeling of bitterness, resentment, or indignation, but with full dedication, and a joyful heart. He was wrongly accused and sentenced to life imprisonment and it never showed both in his appearance and performance. It was because he had a dream. Have you been apprehended of Christ? Are you under His total control? Have you submitted to His lordship? Are you following Him so that He will make you? What is He making you to become? What do you desire to become? What do you dream of becoming? Have you been made? If He sends you out to missions, will you come back with testimonies that even devils are subject to you? If none of these have happened keep following Him, don't give up, He has not given up on you. To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heaven (Eccl.3:1). Whatever thing is your desire or dream has a season, and whatever is God's purpose for your life has a time of manifestation and fulfillment. So, wait for your time and season. The vision is for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it: for it will surely come, it will not tarry (Hab.3:3). Even when your desire and your dream are being fulfilled, your vision has come to manifestation, don't stop following Him, don't stop beholding Him, because the change, the transformation, whatever God has began to do in and with your life is from glory to glory. Until the rapture, whatever level of perfection, attainment or apprehension you have reached or experienced, in your spiritual maturity, ministerial exploits, financial breakthroughs, keep pressing on, because there remains yet many more land to be possessed (Josh.13:1). The Lord is able to give you much more than this, the man of God told Amaziah (2Chr.25:9). Don't limit God in your life. When God's people limited Him in the wilderness, God was grieved and provoked because by so doing they turned back from following Him and tempted Him (PS.78:40-41). Every level you attained is a stepping stone for another higher, better, bigger and greater one than the former. For the glory of the later house shall be greater than the former (Hag.2:9). God's people are required to keep pressing on, to keep moving, to keep making progress; no retreat, no surrender. The word of God says, "woe to them that are at ease in Zion..." (Amos 6:1). Remember, you are apprehended to be made. If you are not made, you cannot become; and if you did not become, you cannot perform! And if you cannot perform, then, you are like salt that has lost its saltiness. You are good for nothing, but to be thrown out and to be trodden under foot of men. That will not be your portion! Therefore, be a faithful and committed disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ. Take His yoke upon yourself and learn of Him. Let Him make you! May God bless you!!

Our Present And Future Glory Our present glory is the glory we can have while here on earth, and in our physical body. Our present glory is spiritual. That is, a glory that cannot be seen, but can be felt; only its effect can be seen. Just as you can hear the sound of the wind, see its effect on environment where it blew but cannot see it with your eyes, so it is with spiritual glory. One may carry this our present glory, and it will not show in his physical appearance. Unlike Moses whose glory shined on his face, ours' shines in our hearts. (Exod.34:29-35; 2Cor.3:10-13; 4:6) Although we are now new creatures- created in Christ Jesus- in the image of God -and after His likeness- having all things that are of God- and are partakers of Divine nature- as true sons of God- exactly as Jesus Christ is, the world does not know us. Why? Because it does not yet appear in the physical. It is written, "beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be:" (1Jn.3:2). Meaning that we are now, truly, the sons of God, with all the glory that goes with it, but while on earth, and in this our corruptible and mortal body, that glory does not yet appear in our physical body; that will happen when Jesus will appear and we shall see Him as He is. It is not yet made visible. It is still hidden in our earthen vessels (Col.2:9-10; 2Cor.4:7). That's why the world does not know us. The world cannot see beyond the physical. For man looks only on the outward appearance (1Sam.16:7). Thus, the glory we are to enter now is spiritual glory: inward transformation that will be showing in our conducts and conversations. That is, becoming a good man who, out of the good treasure of his heart is bringing forth good things (Mat.12:35). It is to be dead for Christ to live in us; although there will be no change in our physical body, the spiritual change that have taken place within, will be seen in our change of character. It is to be conformed to the image of Christ, or for Christ to be formed in us, so much so that we live, talk as Jesus, and work the works of Jesus, that when anyone sees us, it will be the same as seeing Jesus (Rom.8:29; Gal.4:19; Jn.14:9). To confirm that we have a glory yet to be revealed in us, the Bible says that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Rom.8:18). Just as we have the glory to be revealed in us, so we have the glory to be revealed on us. The first refers to our present glory, and the second refers to our future glory. Our present glory is our inner man becoming like Christ; our future glory is our outer man becoming like Christ's glorious body. This glory, the glory we attained here on earth is spiritual. That is, the transformation of our spirit man, otherwise referred to as, inner man, or inward man. It is this transformation that qualifies us for the transformation of our physical body, the outward man, which will take place at the rapture. In other words, the transformation of our spirit man comes before the transformation of our physical body, and without it the transformation of our physical body will not be possible (Jn.3:3-7; Eph.5:25-27; 1Jn.3:2-3). Like the Bible puts it, "and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly" (1Cor.15:48-49). It is the will of God that those who are Christian shall be like Christ; and as we have borne the image of the earthily or natural man, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly or spiritual man. If you are not as the heavenly man here on earth, you cannot be with the heavenly man in heaven. If you are not like Him spiritually, you cannot be like Him physically. He came the first time for our spirit man to be transformed into His image, so that we can be like Him to live and work like Him; He is coming the second time for our body to be changed into His glorious body, so that we can live with Him eternally in heaven, looking exactly like Him. On this earth, while in our bodies, we enter our spiritual glory; in heaven, we shall enter our eternal glory. Then what we have experienced inwardly will also happen outwardly. That will be the consummation or the perfection of our glory. "The path of the just is as the shinning light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day" (Pr.4:18). The perfect day is the period our glory shall come to perfection; and this shall be at the time of the rapture of the saints. Therefore, while on this earth and in this our physical body, nobody can attain perfection. While here on earth, in our physical body, waiting for the return of the Lord, it is time to prepare for the consummation of our glory. How do we prepare for it? By ensuring we enter our spiritual glory; through the new birth and by purifying ourselves (Jn.3:3-5; Eph.5:26-27). Everyone who really expects to be like Jesus when He appears, the Bible said, "purifies himself, even as He is pure" (1Jn.3:2-3). Whatever we suffer now it is nothing compared to the glory awaiting us. What we are now, as Christians, is not all we are meant to be, and therefore, not what we shall always be. Our present condition is not meant to be permanent. We are still on transit, we have not reached our destination. We have not become all that we can be, but are in the process of becoming all we can be. The change we experienced at the new birth is the beginning of a process. The process that is from glory to glory (2Cor.3:18). The Bible said, "For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron.." (Isa.60:17). No matter who you are now, you are going to experience a change. What you are now is going to change to something better; and it is going to be glorious and a stepping stone for another glorious experience. Our future is very bright. It is far better than our today; no matter how glorious we are today, our glory for tomorrow is far more glorious. The degree of glory we can enter while on earth has no limit. That's why somebody like apostle Paul after he had attained a level of glory no man, except Jesus Christ, had attained in history of man, did not consider himself to have attained, already made perfect, or apprehended, he kept reaching forth unto those things which are ahead. The level of glory a believer attains in life depends on his vision and his faith (Gen.13:14-17). "And the LORD said unto Abram, after that lot separated from him, lift up now your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: for all the land which you sees, to you will I give it, and to your seed forever......Arise walk through the land in the length of it and in the breath of it; for I will give it unto it." The moment you are separated from the world, if you can lift up your inner eyes and look from where you are, (the place of the new birth), all the land of our present glory you can see by revelation, to you the Lord will give it. To appropriate it by faith, walk through it, in the length and breath of it.

FROM GLORY TO GLORY (2COR.3:18). The Bible said, "for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom.3:23). It means that originally man was at par with the glory of God; that originally man measured up to God's standard. Man was one with God before the fall. But due to the fall of man, he came short of that glory. Because of sin man no longer measured up to God's glory. The first thing that happened immediately after the fall was that the eyes of them both (Adam and Eve) were opened and they knew they were naked. They knew then they were naked because the glory covering them had departed. The greatest tragedy of the fall of man was that it stripped man of God's glory. So the standard for measuring man's perfection, or attainment in spiritual growth and maturity is God's glory. That is why Paul the apostle said that he was not already attained, either were already perfect, and did not count himself to have apprehended (Phi.3:12-13). For somebody like apostle Paul, from whose body handkerchiefs and apron were brought to the sick, diseases departed and evil spirit went out from them; the man who went to the third heaven, into the paradise, and heard unspeakable words which is not lawful for man to utter; who wrote more than half of the new testament books. For such a man to say he had not yet attained, either were already perfect means that the standard of attainment in spirituality is not within the realm of the natural and there is no limit to which a man can attain while here on earth. It means that until a man is restored back to the image of God and after His likeness, in which he was created originally, to the point of him speaking, acting and responding to issues as God would, no matter his level of his spiritual and moral attainment, he is still not yet arrived or perfect. The major reason Jesus came, died and resurrected was to restore that lost glory. The journey to perfection, the perfection of our glory, begins at the new birth, when we are born again. After the new birth we are to go unto perfection; that shall be our agenda, our priority, our pursuit in life. (Heb.6:1-2; Mt.5:43-48). We are to focus on it with singleness of mind, and never allow any distraction (Mt.6:19-33; Col.3:1-4). We are to pursue it like athletes; determined, purposeful and disciplined (1Cor.9:24-27). To ensure we reach this goal set before us, we are to lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily beset us, looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith (Heb.12:1-2). The perfection of glory is not attained in one experience. It is from glory to glory; from one level or degree of glory to another (2Cor.3:18; Heb.6:1-2). So we are expected that as we enter our glory through the new birth, we are to go unto perfection of it. It calls for continuous pressing on, no looking back, no retreat, no relaxing. We are to press on to perfection of our glory until we come to a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph.4:13). Christ is our standard. We must aim at becoming like Christ!

ENTERING OUR GLORY (1Cor.2:7). Our theme last month was, "Let your light shine". We learnt that our light is the life of Jesus Christ. And we let our light shine when His life manifests in our mortal body. This is the mystery of godliness, God manifesting in the flesh of His Children. This month we shall enter our glory. Glory is defined as great beauty or splendour that is so overwhelming it is considered powerful. It is also defined as honour and valour. Honour means, sense of self-worth; praiseworthiness or respect. Valour means, strength of mind in regard to danger; that quality which enables a person to encounter danger with firmness; personal bravery; courage; prowess. These definitions make it clear that we enter into our glory when we come to full maturity in Christ, as sons of God; and our full potentials are fully developed and functioning effectively, to the point that we are exactly as Jesus Christ is, reflecting His glory and manifesting His power. We have entered into our glory when we are changed into the same image of the Lord Jesus, from glory to glory, and we are walking as He walked and doing the works He did (2Cor.3:18); as a Church, we have entered our glory when we have come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, (Eph.4:13); and have become exactly as Jesus is, as the disciples at Antioch were, because of which they were called Christians (1Jn.4:17; Acts11:26). This experience begins at the conversion and will be perfected at the resurrection or rapture of the saints (Phi.3:20-21; 2Cor.5:1-4; 1Cor.15:50-54). The perfection of our glory will happen at the rapture, when our vile body shall be fashioned like unto the Lord's glorious body; when our corruptible and mortal body is changed to incorruptible and immortal body; when death is swallowed up in victory, because mortality has been swallowed up of life (1Cor.15-50-54; 2Cor.5:4). Eyes has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him (1Cor.2:9). You have a unique glory prepared for you by God. The glory that no one has ever seen, heard of, or conceived. Nothing is worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in you (Rom.8:18). It is your time to shine. Your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. What are you waiting for? Step into your glory. Arise! Shine!!

THE MYSTERY OF GODLINESS. 2. Great is the mystery of godliness (1Tim.3:16). Meaning that Christian life is a great mystery. Mystery is a hidden truth, a secret. It is a spiritual reality that cannot be seen or known except by revelation. Christian life is a great mystery because the truth about it is what no man can see, know or understand except by revelation. What is the mystery of godliness? And why is it great? The mystery of godliness is: 1. God manifested in the flesh. 2. Justified in the Spirit. 3. Seen by angels. 4. Preached among the nations. 5. Believed on in the world. 6. Received up into glory. The mystery of godliness is that God actually was made visible in the flesh, in human body, vindicated-proved right in the Spirit, was seen by angels (only angels, even fallen angels, saw who Jesus really is, men were blinded to it), preached among the nations, believed on in the world, and was received up into glory. Meaning that the coming of Jesus Christ as a baby born in a manger and as an anointed One, who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of devils, was God manifested in human body. It means that Jesus, who was preached among the nations by His disciples and apostles, was God manifested in human body; that Jesus who was believed on in the world and received up into glory was God manifested in human body. Godliness, therefore, is not about following some religious laws or observing religious rituals and ceremonies, but God manifesting in human body. The same way Christ was God manifested in the flesh, Christians are Christ manifesting in the flesh. Jesus said, "He that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me: and he that loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him" (Jn.14:21). Apostle Paul wrote, "Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our bodies. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal bodies" (2Cor.4:10-11). Just as God's manifestation in human body, as Christ, was justified, proved right, vindicated in the Spirit, so should the manifestation of Christ in the believers human bodies be vindicated in the Spirit. The disciples were called Christians for the first time in Antioch (Acts11:26). This was because they were like Christ. They were walking as Jesus walked, and doing the work He did. As God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power, and He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the Devil, so the early disciples were anointed and they also went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the Devils Acts10:38; Mk.16:20; Acts5:12-16). Jesus promised every believer the anointing of the Holy Spirit, He even warned them by saying, "behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you, but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until you be endued with power from on high" (Jn.7:37-39; Acts1:8; Lk.24:49). The Scripture says, "For God, who commanded light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us" (2Cor.4:6-7). The same glory of God seen in the life of Jesus is to be seen in our lives, as Christians. There is treasure in our mortal bodies, this treasure is the light that God has shined in our hearts. This light is the life of Christ (In.1:4); the life that, as it shines, reveals the same glory of God that Jesus Christ carried. As this light shines out from our bodies, the excellency of the power of God in manifestation will be seen to be of God, and not of us. That's why godliness is a great mystery. It is Divinity in humanity. Godliness, I repeat is not following a set of rules, but God living His life in human body of the believers. Hence, godliness is not possible if a man is not dead for God to live in, and through him. Apostle Paul wrote, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and died for me" (Gal.2:20). He also instructed us, the Christians, to always be carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh (2Cor.4:10-11). It was when the pitchers were broken by Gideon and his soldiers, and the torches were held in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing- and they cried, the sword of the Lord and of Gideon, that the Lord set every man's sword against his companion through out the camp of the enemies of God's people (Judge.7:19-22). The light in earthen vessels will not shine forth except the earthen vessel is broken. And except the gospel trumpets and the light of true Christian living are being blown and shinning together, at the same time, there can be no victory, God's presence and power will not manifest. The true identity of Jesus Christ is a great mystery. For this reason, He was in the world and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not (Jn.1:10-11). They only knew Him after the flesh; as the carpenter, the son of Mary and therefore were offended at Him (2Cor.5:16; Mt.13:55-56; Mk.6:3). The same way our true identity, as Christians, is a great mystery. It is written, "Behold, what manner of love the Father had bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God, therefore the world knows us not, because it knew Him not" (1Jn.3:1). Although we are in the world, we are not of the world, just as Jesus Christ is not of the world. Therefore the world will hate and persecute us, as it did to Jesus (Jn.15:18-21; 17:14-17). For this reason, henceforth, we shall know no man (who is in Christ) after the flesh. For if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new. And all things are of God......., (2Cor.5:16-18). Your life, as a Christian, without controversy, is a great mystery. Be a wonder to the world. Let the world marvel about you because they can neither understand nor explain the difference in you. The word said, "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1Pet.2:9). That,s who you are. Believe it. Live it.

THEME: LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE. TEXT: (MATH.5:13-16; Isa.60 1-3). We have a mandate from our heavenly Father; it is to let our light so shine before men that they may behold our good works and glorify Him. Our light that has come, and the glory of the Lord that has risen upon us, is for a purpose; it is so that, the people on earth who are engulfed with gross darkness will see the light (Isa.60:1-3). Jesus said, "as my Father has sent me, even so send I you" (Jn.20:21). How did His Father sent Him? He sent Him as the light of the world (Jon.8:12; 9:3-5; 12:35-36). So, if Jesus send His disciples exactly as His Father has sent Him, then His disciples are send as the light of the world (Mt.5:14). As the light of the world, except we are shinning, we have lost our usefulness; just as the salt that has lost its flavour is good for nothing, a Christian who does not let his light so shine before men is good for nothing. It is by letting our light so shine before men, we will be fulfilling our purpose on earth. The big question then is what is our light? A. WHAT IS OUR LIGHT? 1. Jesus' life (Jn.1:4-5). a. Our light, as disciples of Jesus Christ, is the life that was in Jesus. That's our light that has come (Isa.60:1). What kind of life did Jesus have in Himself? b. The life that Jesus Christ have in Himself is the same the Father have in Himself (Jn.5:26). Thus, Jesus' life is the Father's kind of life. By having the life of Jesus, we are having the Father's kind of life. It is called Eternal life-God's kind of life. c. Jesus' life, therefore, is the Father's life. That's why Jesus was surprised that haven been so long with Philip he still did not know the Father and was asking that the Father be shown to them, the disciples (Jn.14:8-10). And the same reason He made it clear to Philip that whoever have seen Him have seen the Father. What He was saying in effect was that, since He was having the same life as the Father, He is the same as the Father. The words He spoke, the works he did were all the products of the Father's life in Him. Human beings are the same everywhere in the world because whoever is born of flesh is flesh. Language may differ, tribe may differ, colour may not be the same, stature and physical appearance may never be one, man is man everywhere. Goats are the same, whether in America, Briton, Germany or France, place or colour does not make any difference. The Father and the Son are one, because it is the same life that is in the Father is the Son. The Father couldn't have done anything different if He was the one physically present with the disciples then. That's why He also said, very, very I say unto you he that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to my Father" (Jn.14:12). What has His going to His Father got to do with His disciples doing the works He did and surpassing What He did? Because He promised that when He go to the Father, He will send them the same Spirit (the Life giving Spirit) of the Father that is in Him, by which He was able to do the works He did. Hear it, "it is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send Him unto you (Jn.16:7). It was confirmed by Peter that Jesus actually fulfilled this promise when He got to heaven. This is what he said, "Therefore being at the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He has shed forth this, which you now see and hear" (Acts 2:33). By the reason of the Holy Spirit anointing that will come upon those who believe on Jesus, they shall be able to do the works Jesus did, and even surpass it (Jn.16:7; Acts.1:8; 2:33). No wonder, Isaiah prophesied, and said, "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you" (Isa.60:1). For every child of God, it is time to arise and shine. There is no reason for any believer to remain on the ground asleep, defeated, helpless, hopeless; or in the grave dead and buried; or in prison bound; or in slavery suffering pain and penury, or in dungeon crying and weeping, when our light has come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon us. By the reason of having received Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost, the power of darkness over us has been broken; and not only that, we are empowered to liberate others still under these evil powers.