THE PROPHETIC BIRTHING OF THE CHURCH, Part 2

For some time, we’ve been speaking about the Church as the Body of Christ providing Kingdom services. When we say the Church, we are not talking about a building; we are talking about you. You are the one providing Kingdom services. You saw what God is doing and joined Him in that work. You saw that God is working and that what He is doing is glorious and beautiful, and you could not help but join Him in this great task of redeeming the world, saving the world, and spreading the fragrance of His beauty. The light of God is shining everywhere, rebuking darkness and establishing a reign of righteousness.When we say the Church, we’re talking about the Body of Christ. The Bible says in Ephesians 5:25-27 (NIV), “… Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant Church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” That is the Church. And who is that Church? You are a member of that Church, a member of the Body. As 1 Corinthians 12:27 (NIV) says, “Now you are the Body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” Individually, we are all members of that radiant, holy Body. The Body of Christ is uniquely prepared by God so that death, sickness, or any other circumstance cannot overcome it. For He said, “I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18, NIV). Brethren, you cannot be overcome. We are talking about the Body of Resurrection. That is the Body He has given the assignment—the message of reconciliation. The Body must continue in Kingdom service, but it cannot do so alone. It must recognize its Head. You cannot contradict your Head and still fulfill your purpose. When you go against the direction, leadership, and guidance of the Head, you miss your way and become disconnected from your destiny and from God’s will. You fall into disarray and chaos.Individually, we are all members of this wonderful Body of Christ. Luke 20:36 (NIV) says, “…and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.” God our Father will never die, and the Body of Christ will never die. This is not about natural death but spiritual death. You are alive, and you cannot be overcome by spiritual death. No gate of hell can prevail over you, for you are a child of the resurrection. Once you have risen, you cannot die again. You have experienced the first resurrection: from spiritual death to spiritual life. We are not in corruption but in life. We share in His life and express it in our daily living. God has prepared His Body so that you can fulfill Kingdom purpose. He has prepared you to fulfill your destiny: to increase, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. He has prepared you to reign. Romans 5:17 (NIV) says, “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!” Death was dominating, destroying, and people were helpless. Then Jesus, the Righteous One, appeared and destroyed death, bringing life and immortality through the light of the gospel. He imparted us His life—His very nature, character, and being. He is Spirit, and we are spirits. We are fearfully and wonderfully made in true righteousness and holiness. Once we were people of the flesh, subject to the adversary, and the devil afflicted us. But now, we can resist the devil, and he will flee from us. We align with the Word and see the manifestation of the glory of God in our lives. This is the work the Lord has done in your life.All this comes through redemption. He made us a new creation. The old is gone. We became children of God. We were resurrected from death to life, our names written in the Book of Life. He filled us with His very presence. We became the living temple of the Living God. He commissioned us to be ministers of the Good News. He made us competent as ministers of the new covenant—not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (see 2 Corinthians 3:6, NIV). You have life in the name of Jesus. This is the gospel you carry. It is not a hopeless gospel; it saves, heals, and regenerates. It is the gospel of life and light. You belong to that gospel in the name of Jesus. How did it happen? We were buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through our faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead (see Colossians 2:12, NIV). We were baptized into Him. When He died, we died with Him in His substitutionary work. When He was raised, it was because we had been declared innocent. Tell yourself: I am innocent. Sin is gone. It cannot destroy me. Jesus rescued me. Now I have life. This is the life that generations looked forward to. It is real. The life of Christ is real. Enjoying this life is wonderful. Your life will never be the same once you partake of it, because He made us partakers. 2 Peter 1:4 (NIV) says, “Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” We are free from corruption. See yourself the way God sees you. He says you are innocent. Your sins and trespasses He remembers no more. Where sins have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary (see Hebrews 10:18, NIV). Your sins were not just forgiven; they were removed. It is finished. You are a new creation in Christ. You are God’s handiwork. God is at work in you, perfecting His eternal purpose, fulfilling His divine and prophetic plan of redemption. Your past is gone. It is over. Now the new has come. You are the Body of Christ, as stated in 1 Corinthians 12:27.Christ is the Head of the Body. It is a mystical Body. Christ is invisible; you cannot see your spirit, but the connection between the Head and the Body is real. It is spiritually discerned. God is the Maker. We are born not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God (see 1 Peter 1:23, NIV). We are born of God. Tell yourself: I am born of God. Born in the Spirit realm. Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again” (John 3:3, NIV). That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. You are born of the Spirit. That is why your body and the Head are mystically joined together. We are here on earth, yet He is with us in the Spirit. As He said, “For where two or three gather in My name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20, NIV). By divine plan, we are the branches. We must abide in Him to bear fruit. Apart from Him, we can do nothing (see John 15:5, NIV). What a great privilege He has given us through the redemptive work of Christ—lavishing grace on us in all wisdom and understanding. He is the Head of the Body. The Christ is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have supremacy (see Colossians 1:18, NIV). God highly exalted Him and gave Him a name that is above every other name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (see Philippians 2:9-11, NIV).By acknowledging Jesus as Lord, you confess your salvation. Romans 10:10 (NIV) says, “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” When you confess Him, He accepts you. He even commends you to the angels in Heaven. Heaven rejoices when a sinner repents.Ephesians 4:15 (NIV) says, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature Body of Him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” You are part of a mystical, mysterious person. The One seated at the right hand of the Father is your Head. You are a part of His Body, well-positioned. We must continue to speak the truth in love. If you pray without love, your prayer is tested and found lacking, because God is love. Intercessory prayer is born out of love. Christ lives to make intercession for the saints because He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him (see Hebrews 7:25, NIV). Love gives you the pass mark, password. God so loved the world. He is in the business of loving. If you find Him loving, join Him. He will never hate. If you are in hatred, you are disconnected from Him. He is the Author of love. Love one another. 1 John 4:7-8 (NIV) says, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”Therefore, we are the Body. Mystically, He is the Head. We cannot successfully serve without the Head, without love. Love must be the standard of our worship, faith, teaching, and prayer. It must be the basis of our relationship with God and with one another. Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… and love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39, NIV). This is the only commandment. Love defines our fellowship. When you come to church, you come to meet love. The Church of God is love. Love is the dominant word. If you are relating with others, let love be the measure. Is there love in your actions? In your words? Love must rule. Let it take over your marriage, your business, your life. Then you will see it flourish and bless others. That is the miracle of love. Those who belong to God are in love. If you belong to God but do not love, then you must question your connection with Him. Who is behind all this? God. 1 Corinthians 12 :7 says the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. You are a blessing to others, and they are a blessing to you. Love meets love, and the result is greater love—abundant love. Love that no situation or bitterness can conquer.Love is pure. It doesn’t come with malice, envy, or hidden agenda. When you walk in love, there is no bitterness, no strife, no backbiting. These things do not come from God—they are not part of the kingdom of heaven. Love comes from above. Joy comes from God. Peace, true peace, comes from above. It is the peace that surpasses all understanding. What we see in this world—hatred, violence, wickedness, manipulation—those are the things of the earth, not of heaven. The world promotes evil and yet tries to wear the garments of righteousness. But Scripture says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7, NIV). If you sow evil, you will reap evil. If you sow bitterness, you’ll receive bitterness. You cannot plant thorns and expect to harvest roses. You cannot plant wickedness and expect peace. What a man sows, he will reap. The enemy has sown many things into the world. Matthew 13:25 says, “But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.” Now the weeds and the wheat are growing together. And sometimes it’s hard to tell which is which. Evil has become so widespread that it seems normal. People don’t even need to be taught how to do wrong anymore—it comes naturally. But love, peace, kindness, patience—these are fruits of the Spirit, and they must be cultivated. We learn love. We learn peace. We learn patience. We learn to walk in the Spirit. These things are not automatic; they are not instant. We are born again, yes—but then the real learning begins. We enter the school of the Spirit. Every day is a new lesson. And we don’t graduate until we reach glory. This is the school of God. Even in marriage, you must learn. A husband learns to understand his wife, and the wife learns to understand her husband. Children must be trained in the ways of God. These things don’t come naturally. But evil? That comes easy. You don’t have to teach a child how to lie—they’ll figure it out. You don’t have to teach people to cheat or manipulate. The sinful nature produces that on its own. But God has called us to something higher. We have been born again. Say it: “I am born again.” You are a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. Now you must learn the ways of heaven. Learn the culture of the kingdom. Learn the heart of the Father. Learn to walk in love. Learn to forgive. Learn to pray. Learn to worship. Learn to serve. Learn to listen to the Holy Spirit. This is how we grow in the kingdom.And God has not left us alone in this process. He has given us His Word to instruct us. He has given us His Spirit to guide us. He has given us one another for encouragement and support. He is teaching us, molding us, and transforming us. The things of the Spirit are not natural to the flesh, but they are essential to the believer. We don’t stop learning. We never graduate from the school of the Holy Spirit. Every day we are shaped. Every trial teaches us. Every victory strengthens us. Every failure humbles us. But through it all, the Spirit is working. We are not in this alone. God is with us. Heaven is with us. The Spirit of God is in us. And when the Holy Spirit is at work in your life, things begin to change. You begin to walk in the gifts of the Spirit. You begin to see the fruit of the Spirit in your life. You begin to operate in supernatural ways. 1 Corinthians 12 lists the gifts of the Spirit: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, speaking in tongues, and interpretation of tongues. These are not for show—they are for the building up of the Church. The same Spirit gives them as He wills. You may not have all the gifts, but you have at least one. And whatever gift you have, use it to glorify God. If you’re not operating in one, seek the Lord. If you’re walking in wisdom, thank God. If you’re walking in discernment, thank God. If you’re walking in faith, thank God. And if you’re not sure, ask Him: “Lord, what gift have You placed in me?”Because when the Spirit is in you, you are not ordinary. You are not powerless. You are not confused. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. He leads you. He empowers you. He comforts you. He speaks to you. You must recognize what God has placed in you. Thank God for your salvation. Thank Him for your family. Thank Him for His Spirit. Thank Him for His Word. Thank Him for the opportunities to grow. Don’t take anything for granted. Every good and perfect gift comes from above (James 1:17). Philippians 2:13 says, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose” (NIV). It is God who is working. He is not just watching from heaven—He is actively shaping your destiny. You are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for you to do (Ephesians 2:10).1 Corinthians 12:4–6 reminds us, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.” God is working in you. Say it: “God is working in me.” Celebrate your brothers and sisters in Christ. If someone is flourishing in their gift, don’t be jealous—rejoice. That gift is not a threat to you; it’s a blessing to you. When one part of the Body grows, the whole Body benefits. Don’t compete—cooperate. Don’t compare—complete. We need each other. Don’t envy another person’s calling or assignment. Every member of the Body has its own place, and every place is vital. The eye is not the foot. The hand is not the ear. But every part is essential. No one can say to another, “I don’t need you.” When God places a calling on someone’s life, it’s not for show—it’s for service. And the burden that comes with that calling can only be carried by grace. That’s why you can’t copy someone else’s gift. If you try to carry what wasn’t meant for you, it will break you. But if you carry what God assigned to you, He will give you strength, peace, and joy in the journey. And we are not alone. The heavenly host is involved in our journey. Revelation 5 paints a powerful picture: the Lamb of God, slain for us, standing in the midst of the throne, surrounded by worship, glory, and power. The four living creatures and 24 elders fall before Him. Each one holds a golden bowl of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Your prayers are in heaven. They are not lost. They are not ignored. They rise like incense before the throne of God. So don’t stop praying. Don’t stop interceding. Don’t stop believing. Your voice matters. Your prayers are powerful. James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (NIV).And remember—angels are ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14). They are assigned to help you. Heaven is invested in your journey. The family of God is both in heaven and on earth. Ephesians 3:14–15 tells us, “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name” (NIV). You are part of a divine family. You belong. You are not here by accident. Your presence here today is divine. God arranged it. He placed you in this family, in this church, in this generation, on purpose. 1 Corinthians 12:18 says, “But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be” (NIV). You are not random. You are placed. You are positioned. You are equipped. You are chosen. So, rise up. Step into your assignment. Step into your calling. Embrace your gift. Walk in love. Walk in power. Walk in truth. Walk in the Spirit. Don’t look down on anyone. Every child, every youth, every elder, every woman, every man—every person is valuable in the kingdom. No one is too small. No one is unnecessary. No one is forgotten. We are one Body with many parts. We are one family with many members. God is working. Jesus said in John 5:17, “My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too am working” (NIV). And in verse 19: “The Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing.” Find where God is working—and join Him. Don’t just sit and wait for something to happen. Find where God is moving and move with Him. When someone is broken—help restore them. When someone is hungry—feed them. When someone is sick—visit them. When someone is lost—guide them. When someone is hopeless—encourage them. This is how we join God in His work.In the parable of the talents, the servant who buried his gift lost it. But the others who used theirs gained more. Why? Because they joined in the Master’s work. When you partner with God, He multiplies your effort. He multiplies your impact. He multiplies your reward.You want to see breakthrough? Start helping someone else. You want healing? Pray for the sick. You want provision? Give to someone in need. As you work with God, your own blessing will come. Find where God is working—and join Him. That’s the beginning of your miracle.