Eternal Glorious Fountain Ministry (EGFM)
Believers' Convention 2022 (DAY 4 - Evening Session)
Date: Wednesday, 10th August 2022
When we talk about God, we are talking about His heart. We need to understand what constitutes the heart of God and what makes it the way it is. If we understand this, then the question “Who is like God?” would have been half-answered.
"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. [8] He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. [9] In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. [10] Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 Jn. 4:7-10). We can say that love is God and God is love. The love portrayed in these scriptures is a very high one. It is not the measure of love we came into at the new birth. We cannot claim this kind of love; it is the highest kind of love. Anyone who has arrived at this point will have the image of God in them.
The essence of church is to learn to arrive at the point of being loved like God is love. We should learn to a point where God knows we have His love in us. "For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God." (Deut. 4:24). This love is a realm of jealousy. It is a realm where everything that has to do with humanity is consumed; our entirety is dealt with at this point. It is not a realm we will enter anyhow, but one in which we will be guided into completely through teaching.
The beginning of entering this love are the teachings of Christ in faith, hope, and charity. Faith begins to point us to God; it is a ladder to journey to God. The journey to God is possible when faith is available (Heb. 11:6). Anyone that lacks faith is not making progress in the spirit. A man who is making progress in the spirit is determined by the amount of faith he has. This is not the faith to get things, but the faith for living. You are not living or alive towards God until you begin to engage this faith.
Charity is the end of the commandment (1 Tim. 1:5). A man who has arrived at charity has a pure heart; only such a man has been able to see God in a measure (Matt. 5:8). We do not see God by our mere imaginations – He is too big to be imagined by our minds. However, charity is not the end of the journey; it is the beginning of the journey to the love of God.
"Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. [35]Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" (Rom. 8:34-35). If we do not overcome these things that seek to separate us from the love of Christ, we will not be able to cross over to the love of God. To arrive at the love of God, things that will make us harmful and hurt God like Lucifer did will have to be dealt with.
"As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. [37]Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." (Rom. 8:36-37). This scripture is not for everyone; it is for those who have overcome previous hurdles that war against the love of Christ.
"The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe." (Prov. 18:10). The love of God is the place of safety. “Lord” in this scripture refers to God. We cannot come to a place where we are safe if we have not arrived at the love of God. We have come here to have an answer to a question that has been – “Who is like God?”. One of the ways we can arrive at the answer is to follow the processes that help us arrive at the love of God.
Sufferings are part of our lives. We cannot overgrow suffering no matter how spiritual we are; it is a balance to us -- it is there to balance our lives and help us to stay focused. The path to God is a path of long-suffering. There is suffering and there is long-suffering; they are not the same. We cannot get to the end of our faith if we refuse to suffer. Sufferings starves the flesh.
"Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin…"(1 Pet. 4:1). Sufferings ensure that we cease from sin. We will remain in our sins if we neglect suffering. There are certain habits we will still carry if we do not agree with suffering.
"That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God." (1 Peter 4:2). If you neglect suffering, you are fulfilling the lusts of the flesh. Suffering is not lack of clothes or food, but the exchange of your will for God’s will. Suffering will determine how you manage your provisions. Until we arrive at such points, we will not be able to accurately do the will of God.
"Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water." (1 Pet. 3:20). The season of God is the season to suffer long. One way our love is tested is by our conversation, as we live in the same house with our brethren. What God is looking at is not how we are outward but how we are on the inside. Suffering helps us build the inward capacity (2 Cor. 4:16).
God suffers long: this is one attribute that makes Him up. If we will be like Him, we will also suffer long. No matter what it is you are going through, hold on and do not give up. Do not waste your trials – they are precious. We go round in circles because we are still struggling to obey. May we receive greater grace to obey and allow God over our lives.
Blessings!
Summary
1. When we talk about God, we are talking about His heart. If we understand what constitutes His heart, then the question “Who is like God?” would have been half-answered.
2. Love is God and God is love (1 John 4:7-10). The love portrayed in these scriptures is not the measure of love we came into at the new birth. Anyone who has arrived at this point will have the image of God in them.
3. This love is a realm of jealousy (Deut. 4:24). It is a realm where everything that has to do with humanity is consumed. We are guided into this realm through teaching.
4. The beginning of entering this love are the teachings of Christ in faith, hope, and charity. Faith begins to point us to God; it is a ladder to journey to God. You are not living or alive towards God until you begin to engage this faith.
5. Charity is the end of the commandment (1 Tim. 1:5). A man who has arrived at charity has a pure heart; and has been able to see God in a measure (Matt. 5:8). Charity is the beginning of the journey to the love of God.
6. If we do not overcome these things that seek to separate us from the love of Christ, we will not be able to cross over to the love of God (Rom. 8:34-35).
7. To arrive at the love of God, things that will make us harmful and hurtful will have to be dealt with.
8. The love of God is the place of safety (Prov. 18:10). We cannot come to a place where we are safe if we have not arrived at the love of God. We should follow the processes that will help us arrive at the love of God.
9. The path to God is a path of long-suffering. There is suffering and there is long-suffering; they are not the same. We cannot get to the end of our faith if we refuse to suffer.
10. Sufferings starves the flesh. Sufferings ensure that we cease from sin (1 Pet. 4:1). If we neglect suffering, we are fulfilling the lusts of the flesh (1 Pet. 4:2). Suffering is not lack of clothes or food, but the exchange of our will for God’s will.
11. The season of God is the season to suffer long. Suffering helps us build the inward capacity (2 Cor. 4:16). God suffers long. If we will be like Him, we will also suffer long.