Prayer, Purity and Power
(week 11/02)
Olubi Johnson
The Day of His power
We are on the brink of the greatest outpouring of the power of God the earth has ever experienced. In fact the Bible calls this 21st.century or third day or millennium from Christ, the day of His power.
Psalm 110:3 (KJV) Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
It says in Ps. 110:3, above, that God’s people will be willing in this day of His power. However that power will be characterized by the beauty of holiness, starting from the womb of the morning or the dawning of the third day, which is the time we are living in right now in the year 2002.
The Earnest and full inheritance
The power of God we have experienced so far in the church is that of the baptism of the Holy Ghost as poured out on the day of Pentecost. This anointing is called the earnest of our inheritance:
Ephesians 1:13-14 (KJV) In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
The word earnest is an old English word meaning deposit or down payment. For instance if you want to buy a house for say, $100,000 and you are required to deposit $10,000 to secure it. The $10,000 is the earnest of the price of the house. With the deposit the house will not be sold to any body else as long as you pay the balance of $90,000 before a specified time period.
In the same way the baptism of the Holy Spirit we receive with the evidence of speaking in tongues is only a deposit anointing God gives to us after we are born again.
It is with the earnest anointing we speak in tongues, lay hands on the sick, cast out devils and manifest the gifts of the Spirit.
Acts 2:4 (KJV) And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Mark 16:17-20 (KJV) And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
Thank God for it. Thank God for what has been achieved in the church since the day of Pentecost with this earnest anointing. We have seen the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, lepers cleansed and even the dead raised.
However, these things have occurred only sporadically by faith or occasionally by the gifts of the Holy Spirit as He wills. This is because the manifestation of the earnest anointing is transient. In other words it comes and goes. It is not permanent. We have not yet seen the consistent manifestation of the power of God through anybody since Pentecost as it was in the life of Jesus. Jesus had the full inheritance or anointing. He had the Spirit without measure consistently. He had an abiding and not just a transient anointing. It is this full anointing or inheritance that is about to be poured on the church as this third day dawns, so that we can do the works Christ did and even greater works.
John 3:34 (KJV) For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
Luke 4:14 (KJV) And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
Luke 6:19 (KJV) And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.
John 20:30 (KJV) And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
John 21:25 (KJV) And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
We see from these scriptures that Jesus had a permanent full anointing, or the Spirit without measure and not just a transient anointing. Now Jesus himself declares that the works He did and even greater are to be done by those who believe in Him. This is the day of the fulfilment of this Word:
John 14:12 (KJV) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
Paying the price
If we pay (or pray) the price of total sanctification of our souls and bodies in this lifetime God will give us the balance of the full anointing or the Spirit without measure that Jesus had.
1Thessalonians 5:23 (KJV) And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We pay this price by prayer and purity. We are to use the earnest anointing of speaking in tongues to pray in the spirit for at least one hour daily (see Matt. 26:40,41 and Acts 3:1). This will cause the power of the Holy Spirit, or living water, from our bellies to enter into our souls and flesh to purify and sanctify them.
John 7:38-39 (KJV) He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
Romans 8:11 (NIV) And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Romans 8:13 (NIV) For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,
Romans 8:26-29 (KJV) Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
We are then to maintain this purity or sanctification by living a holy life of obedience by the Spirit.
If we pay this price of prayer and purity God will reward us with the full inheritance or anointing without measure, as He pours it out at this time: as this third day dawns.
It is important to realize that if we are faithful in using the ‘little’ earnest inheritance we have been given to live a life of prayer and purity God will make us ruler over the ‘much’ of the full inheritance.
Luke 16:10 (KJV) He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
The earnest inheritance was given as the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:38 (KJV) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
But the full inheritance or the Spirit without measure will be given, not as a gift but as a reward to the faithful Christian who makes himself a vessel of honour as this 3rd. day dawns.
Colossians 3:24 (KJV) Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
Revelation 22:12 (KJV) And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
2 Timothy 2:20-21 (KJV) But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.
John 14:12 (KJV) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
