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Remember it is all about Christ.

by Patrick Oben  
2/03/2010 / Devotionals

Christianity is centered on Christ. The Church, not that building you worship in but the body of believers like you, will only find her place when Christ is occupying His rightful place in her. After all the ministrations and work, we should remember that Christianity is not about ministries, ministers, gifts or even the believer. It is about Christ. We are
familiar with the words He said in John 15:5 that '... without me ye can do nothing'. It
is easy to mutter these words religiously but we should get these words from our heads into our hearts. The dividends will be obvious.

One of the pivotal areas where this principle should be rigorously applied is in our
knowledge. The kingdom is a kingdom of knowledge 'for the LORD is a God of knowledge'(1 Sam 2:3,KJV). Your knowledge of God defines what kind of life you would be living as a believer. Some experience periods of 'highs and lows' while others are tossed to and fro like waves on the sea. Some are indistinguishable in behavior from unbelievers as though they are still in darkness while others are barely looking for a way of escape for the frustration in living this life seems to be overwhelming. Nevertheless, there are many others whose 'path..is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day(Pr 4:18, KJV). They have had their lives built on the sure foundation. Maturity in the kingdom is Word determined. Insights are keys. When you have an insight about kingdom prosperity, poverty bids good bye for ever. When the light of the Word shines in your heart that healing is a done deal, disease takes its place below your feet. When the awesomeness of His love is seen in the Mirror of the Word, that soul will never ask God another time ' 'why is this happening to me, Lord?' When the glory of the unspeakable wonders of the shed blood is open to a heart, a life of perpetual self-condemnation, guilt and feeling of
insufficiency before God will be forgotten as the dead are forgotten. You see, we can
continue the list of what insight or knowledge of God will do to a believer's life.

This is a truth so deep. It is not just knowledge. The knowledge of the Person and Work of Christ is the foundation of the knowledge of God that builds and stabilizes believers. When God says His people perish for lack of knowledge, He is not talking of the want of knowledge about sociology, human relationships, medicine, psychology or any of the vast fields of knowledge around us today. His people are consumed in depression not because they have not had a sound knowledge of psychology. Some die of disease not because they have not known alot about exercises and how cholesterol intake influences the amount of LDL in the blood. You get what I mean? This is not the kind of knowledge He is talking of. Ofcourse knowing these things is not useless. We will have to know these things for one reason or the other.No one will like to be in an airplane whose pilot knows nothing about flying but can fly the plane only by faith! But when it comes to kingdom issues, this is not the kind of knowledge that brings the dominion of Christ in our world. He says,

They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the
knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. Isa 11:9, KJV.


The knowledge of the LORD is the issue we are talking about here. When a man's life is full of this knowledge, it overflows with righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost as a river.


The knowledge in believers is so important for their wellbeing in the faith. That is why
false teaching will leave the Church or the individual believer in a catastrophy. No deadly position can Satan influence in the church more than the pulpit. If he gets the pulpit, it is a done deal. The believers who hear from that pulpit will be put asunder.

There is something I realized in the House that made me afraid. I feared it until the Lord
made me know that He is the Grand Builder of His Church, not one Overseer or General
Supervisor or Senior pastor. And that His Church is not out of control. I feared what
I use to hear frequently behind pulpits or TV or tapes and the like. At times, I have felt
that the Church will become a gathering to teach people how to get along with their jobs,
overcome financial crises, grow in finances, succeed in life, think big in life and similar
things. Do not be embarrased that the average believer out there amongst the majority knows very little about the death,burial, ressurection and seating of Christ and most especially its application to him today. He might even tell you he is not so interested in theology! But that believer can tell you alot about how to grow his business, all the types and ways of seed sowing and stuff like that. He has been well taught in Church. It is time to remember that it is all about Christ. The prosperity, the succes, the joy and every other goody is centered on Him. Your knowledge of Him comes first and before all. Young converts come to the fold and just get drawn. Jesus ends up as the One who saved us to come and live OUR lives. Permit me reiterate
this yet again. The knowledge of the Person and Work of Jesus is the key to your success
in this new life we have been called into. You will definitely learn other things besides that. Do not be carried away by the wind.

The consequence of misdirected knowledge is easy to see. It makes believers oscillate like
papers in the wind. They are taught how to feel good today when marital crises arises only to come back tomorrow to be taught how to feel good when he is fired from work! We should chew and swallow this, that Jesus Christ is the center of our Christian walk. Ignoring the in-depth knowledge of Him will doubtless bear its fruit. The believer will be like the unbeliever in character when he neglects His Lord. By neglect, I do not mean to talk of apostasy or anything like that. I mean neglecting to have the Lord take His preeminence in our knowledge base. The more you know Him, the more you even like Him! Brethren, let us know the Lord. If you want to 'kill' a believer, teach him the wrong things or keep the required things from him. He will be blind and grope in the darkness of sin, disease, condemnation and the rest. Passion for God or sincerity in heart are not substitutes for knowing Him. This will only increase our frustration. What shall we say to these things, when a believer knows more about giving than the cross? What Church do we expect from this?

For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
Ro 10:2,KJV



This is truth, that it is the undiluted , unadulterated and as-from-heaven word of God that will build the Church, that is the believers. Hear about deliverance from first to last Sunday and see that you will always have something to be delivered from. Some might say 'I like listening to encouragement messages only and not these deep things about Jesus for these are like Bible school to me'. Really? That is why every challenge such individuals meet always leaves them as a prayer topic in their local assembly. He will always be battling with falling and rising, probably even saying that ' I will still arise though I fall seven times'. The fresh word, not corrupted by human doctrine but given as the Holy Spirit inspired it, is our way to stability. It is the sincere milk, not corrupted with human interests that will build us.

When the word on Sunday morning is almost always what the preacher wants the people to do that morning, what becomes of those ears hearing it? Growth faillure.

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. 1Pt 2:2,KJV



We can face this challenge before us. In fact, we must face it. As teachers or hearers, we
must seek the sincere Word. A preacher will not give above his revelation of Him. Do not
expect what is above his insight into the Word to come from him. As hearers, we are also encouraged to develop the berean attitute. As sowers or hearers, let us meditate on the Word. Quality time with the Word will lead to quality Christian walk in the long-term. When a believer sees the Word only once on a Sunday morning, he will also see the joy, peace, victory and the other blessings in Christ only on a once-a-week basis.

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.Ac 17:11,KJV


Do not swallow anything that is put into your mouth as knowledge.


Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.Col 2:8,KJV


Beware, for our enemy has attacked the pulpit. Teachings are diverse. As the sincere milk is abounding by the amazing revelations of the Holy Spirit, so the distractions and
misaligned knowledge. Amongst the gracious teachers and preachers we will meet around, do not forget there are many others who are teaching what they think, not what the Spirit says. Furthermore, there are even Satan's messengers who have disguised themselves into angels of light. These are great days of the move of the Spirt but also great days of demonic manipulations. When Christ is not the message, the Church will not be Christ-like. Christ should take His rightful place in our ears as pertaining to what we hear. When I mention Christ to be preached, I am not talking about preaching to unbelievers to receive the gift of salvation. We should not hear Jesus when we were coming into the Family and afterwards start hearing more of another name. It is from Jesus to Jesus. There is so much to learn about Him even as a believer.

Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. Ac 8:5,KJV

And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.Ac 9:20,KJV


If Christ is our hope indeed, we should give Him the pulpit and our ears.


Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made
manifest to his saints:

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the
Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Col 1:26-28



Noticed the phrase ' whom we preach' in the last verse? The glory of the Church is Christ.
The key to our expressing that glory is the revelation of Christ to our hearts by the
Spirit.

Physician and Minister, currently in Iowa, USA
www.patrickoben.com

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