POWER OF GODLINESS_2012
(week 21/12)
OLUBI JOHNSON
2Timothy 3:1-5 KJV: This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. (2) For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (3) Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, (4) Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; (5) Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
Here, Paul by the Holy Spirit tells us that in these last days, there will be perilous spiritual conditions in the Church: covetousness, pride, love of pleasure and such like that will cause the Church to simply have a form of Godliness but not the power of Godliness.
We can see this condition prevalent in the Church today in this 3rd day, so it is crucial now to understand and release the power of Godliness in sufficient measure (2 Cor. 12:9) on a daily (Lk. 9:23, Heb. 5:7) basis in order to escape (2 Pet. 1:4) this present perilous spiritual condition that is assailing the Church.
What is the power of Godliness?
It is the power of God that enables you to be like God: in nature, character, wisdom and ability.
All born-again Christians have the nature of God in their spirits (Jn. 3:3-6) by virtue of the new birth, but many have not developed the character, wisdom and ability of God in their souls: will, mind and emotions.
So even though they are children, they do not display God’s character. They go to Church and have all the outward speech and appearance of children of God, but many times they do not show forth God’s character in their attitudes and actions: they have a form of Godliness, but deny the power of Godliness.
The Lord Jesus describes this condition in
Matthew 15:8 KJV: This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
Matthew 23:25-26 KJV: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. (26) Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
So, it is crucial NOW to make sure you have the power of Godliness in your life, because Christians that remain in this condition of not having the power of Godliness will be removed from the Church by pre-mature physical death (1 Cor. 3:10-15; 5:5 Jn. 15:2, Is. 57:1), and be replaced by others who will have the power of Godliness and consequently the fruit of the Spirit to manifest a Church that will be glorious: without spot, wrinkle or any such thing (Eph. 5:27). This glorious Church will break, rule and disciple the nations to close this age (Mt. 24:14).
How then do we get the power of Godliness?
By the sequentially increasing revelation and experience in our souls, bodies and circumstances of the resurrection power released in Christ when He was raised from the dead (Eph. 1:16-23; 2:1-6) as shown in
2Peter 1:2-11 KJV: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, (3) According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: (4) Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (5) And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; (6) And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; (7) And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. (8) For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (9) But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. (10) Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: (11) For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
