GLORY AND PURPOSE
(week 17/13)
OLUBI JOHNSON
The glory of God is the physical manifestation of His presence and power like the pillar of cloud and fire over the Tabernacle of Moses (Ex. 40:34-38) and the power manifested in raising Lazarus from the dead after 4 days (Jn. 11:4,40-44).
This glory is made manifest in our lives individually by inheriting the power of the Spirit without measure by growing into the perfection and fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:12-15) or by partaking of the ‘borrowed anointing’ of some one who has inherited it.
The purpose of God is the specific purpose God wants us to achieve in our lives: like Moses’ purpose was to take Israel out of Egyptian slavery into the Promised Land (Ex.3:16-17); the Lord Jesus’ purpose was to die for our sins on the cross (Mt. 1:21).
Joseph’s purpose was to save his generation from famine (Gen. 50:20-26) and bring his family into Egypt to transform them from a family to a nation.
It is instructive to see that the glory is NOT THE PURPOSE, but the means to achieve the purpose. In other words we cannot achieve the purpose without the glory: for instance Moses’ miracle of turning his rod to a serpent (Ex.7:7-12) alone would not have fulfilled his purpose; Jesus’ turning water to wine (Jn. 2:11) alone would not have paid for our sins; Joseph correctly interpreting Pharaoh’s dream and becoming Prime Minister of Egypt (Gen.41:14-53) alone would not have would not have brought his family to Egypt if the 7 years of famine had not followed and brought his family into Egypt.
So, we see the manifestation of the glory is the means to the end of fulfilling the purpose but not an end in itself!
In our generation (Mt. 24:34), our COLLECTIVE PURPOSE is to disciple the nations and close this age (Mt. 24:14). However, this purpose will be achieved by each of us INDIVIDUALLY using the glory of God in our lives to get the wisdom, power and finances to fulfil our individual part of this collective purpose.
So to achieve our purpose, we must FIRST grow into the perfection and fullness Christ (Eph. 4:11-15) by using the blood (Heb. 13:20-21), the Word (1 Jn. 2:5) and the Spirit (1 Jn. 4:12-13; 1 Cor. 14:2) to operate the 7 pillars of wisdom (Pr.9:1):
1, The fear of the Lord (Pr. 9.:0): this is the combination of honesty (2 Cor. 4:2; Ps. 15.:2) and humility of heart (Php. 2:5-8; 1 Pet.5:5).
2. Praying in the Spirit: a. Battle prayer with all kinds of prayer with travail (Eph.6:18, Rom. 8.:6, Gal. 4:19); b. Communion prayer (1 Cor. 14:2; 2:7).
3. Binding the devil (Mt. 11:12, 12:29).
4. Confessing the Word (Mk. 11:23; 2 Cor. 4:13).
5. Meditating the Word (Josh. 1:8, Ps. 1:2).
6. Practicing the Word (Jam. 1:22).
7. Fasting (Is. 58.6-14) and living a fasted life (Is. 7:14-15; Mt. 3:4).
These 7 pillars or principles form a cycle as the last pillar 7: fasting makes you more humble: in pillar 1.
So, the practice of these principles, over a period of time, as a daily, diligent, habit will allow the Holy Spirit to use the blood, the Word and the power of the Spirit to clean out of the soul and body ALL of the sin-nature bringing a person into the experience of cleansing perfection.
2 Corinthians 7:1 KJV: Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from ALL filthiness of the flesh and spirit, PERFECTING holiness in the fear of God.
After cleansing perfection is attained, it is maintained using the same principles and then one grows into maturity in perfection to be able to inherit the Spirit without measure (Jn. 3:34) like the Lord Jesus did at the age of 30 (Lk. 3:21-23).
It is the power of the Spirit without measure that manifests the glory of God: like turning water to wine (Jn. 2:11), walking on water (Jn.6:19), raising the dead after 4 days (Jn. 11:4, 40-44).
The measure of the Spirit (Eph. 4:7) we receive at the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Act. 2:4, 10:44-46, 19:6), enables us to speak in tongues, cast out devils, lay hands on the sick for them to recover (Mk.16:17-18); however this measure does not manifest the glory of God in the spectacular manner the power of the Spirit without measure does though it is supernatural.
So to manifest the glory of God and then use it to fulfill our purpose, we MUST GROW INTO THE PERFECTION AND FULNESS OF CHRIST. The good news is that as we do this, we will be encouraged by getting the ‘borrowed anointing’ after we follow after (for about 1 year 4 months as typified by David’s stay at Ziklag (1 Sam. 27:4) before being anointed King at Hebron) a person that has grown into the fullness of Christ and manifested the glory. This is like the 12 Apostles (Lk.9:1-6) and the 70 disciples (Lk.10:1-20) obtained the borrowed anointing after the following the Lord Jesus.
