CONTENTS:

• The Coming World Ruler
• How to be a Successful Soul-winner
• Faith at Work
• Ministry of the Holy Spirit
• The Society of Demons

 

THE COMING WORLD RULER

PARABLE OF HARVEST AND THE TARES

“The kingdom of heaven in likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the house-holder came and said unto him, “Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?”

He said unto them, ‘An enemy hath done this.’ The servants said unto him, ‘Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reaper, gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.’” (Matt. 13:24-30)

"His disciples came to him saying, ‘Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.’ He answered and said unto them, ‘He that sowed the good seed, is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of Man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.’” (Matt. 13:36-43)

This parable of the harvest and tares is a picture given by the Lord Jesus of the situation, conditions and events of the last days and we are rapidly coming to these days. The rapid growth of crime and evil and unrest proves that there is a tremendous power struggle going on a struggle for CONTROL; Dominion - Control of this world and all its people.

The leaders of the nation’s today are all taking part in this gigantic struggle forming 'groups of nations' (The United Nations,) in order to try to control events in the world. But it is failing and will fail.

The various other groups and power blocks are all aimed at the same desire to control and struggle for power. All struggling for power.

This is inspired by Satan for it has been his aim and objective since Babel. "Let us build, let us make a name lest we be scattered" (Gen. 11:4).

Today we have dictatorships controlling people with an iron grip while in others, permissiveness and rebellion strive to secure for themselves power and control.

Worldwide struggle for power has produced a worldwide spirit of unrest and growth in evil and crime and the end is not yet. In fact, the worst is yet ahead of us and both Satan and God are preparing for the coming battle. The Battle for control of this world.

The battle plan of Satan

The Bible calls it "the mystery of iniquity." II Thess. 2:7-8 "the mystery of iniquity doth already work; only he who now letteth will let (The Holy Spirit) until He be taken out of the way; and then shall that Wicked One be revealed." Satan is going to produce His Own Dictator, His own world ruler and we know him as the 'ANTICHRIST'. I John 2:18

He is Satan's 'mystery of iniquity'; Satan's secret weapon against God. Paul calls him "that wicked one" and tells of his coming in II Thess. 2: 3-5,8. Daniel speaks of him as "the king that shall do according to his own will " and "the little horn with the mouth speaking great things," and "the prince that shall come. Daniel 11:36, 7:8; 9:26

The Anti-Christ will be the man who will be offered by Satan the same opportunity of world ruler ship which he offered to the Lord Jesus, who refused it (Luke 4:6). The Antichrist will gladly accept this offer and sell his soul to the devil. And Satan will give him his (Satan's) power on the earth. In Rev. 13, there is a description of this coming leader. It is clear that Satan plans to give 'his man' the power of dictatorship of the entire world and that people will also accept this great ruler as a divine being, worthy of worship, and through him Satan will achieve the worship he craves (Rev. 13:8). The Antichrist will easily win control by flattery, super-power of miracles and wisdom and seem to offer this uneasy world the perfect solution of all its problems (Rev. 13:13-14).

This is the man who will rule the world on behalf of Satan, but the Lord Jesus is well aware of these plans and He has the situation well in hand and will be able to cope with it.

It is a wonderful plan. God is also planning to meet this onslaught from Satan with a group of MEN who were formerly Satan's slaves, but whom He has redeemed and filled with His Spirit and whom He is now training to deal with this 'Mystery of iniquity' and the coming onslaught of evil, and to prepare the world for the coming of the real World Ruler. God’s Own Son; His appointed King and Judge, the Lord Jesus Christ.

A NEW PATTERN OF WORLD EVIL

The 'mystery of iniquity' will not only be a man; the embodiment of evil, but also a system of evil which spread all over the world and is already at work NOW. It will not follow any previous pattern but will bring to light hidden depths of evil not yet displayed publically. There will be a big increase in public dishonesty and immorality. The creation of weapons of destruction which can destroy the whole human race in an hour.

Economic distress and disasters, rising costs of living, thus creating more poverty instead of plenty. Religious backsliding, with attention being given to the human unity of churches rather than the preaching of the Gospel.

New trends of racial hatred, stirring up hatred of man against man. Drug taking and addiction., more drunkenness and alcoholism; bringing many young people into bondage.

GOD'S METHOD OF MEETING THIS CHALLENGE

Many Christians are aware of the backsliding in the church and the growing evil in the world and they are praying that the Lord will come quickly and remove His people from it all. But that would be admitting that Satan has won and that God had to remove His people in order to save them from Satan.

We believe that God has another plan. He has sufficient faith in His redeemed channels and 'vessels of recovery' to entrust them with the task of withstanding Satan and his plans. God has more faith in us than we have in Him, He knows we can win, in spite of our failures and weakness.

God is calling upon His people to listen to the word of His Holy Spirit and to separate themselves from all evil and dedicate themselves 100% to HIM. Loyalty to any church will not be enough, it must be loyalty to the Lord Jesus ALONE. God is planning big operations of His Spirit in order to save and deliver thousands of slaves in Nigeria in these last few years. To Demonstrate that His Gospel is still the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth even in the midst of growing evil, and then to make every delivered man and woman into a deliverer of other slaves.

CERTAIN FACTS EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD KNOW

1. The present world - wide unrest is evidence of a battle - in the unseen - for DOMINION: for the control of this world. This world belongs to our Heavenly Father, but Satan is determined to gain control of it for himself.
2. Satan is therefore stirring up strife, unrest and producing a series of world crises with a view to causing such chaos that the world leaders will be ready to accept Satan's MAN. The Antichrist, as the world Dictator, who will offer the world a universal solution for the ills and injustices of mankind, for the racial problems, for poverty, for juvenile delinquency, for the easing of world tension and the present East-West crisis.
3. God has already appointed His Own World ruler and dictator, the Lord Jesus Christ (who has already defeated Satan and acquired the right and power to rule this world), who is allowing Satan to run his terrible course. In the process of the contest, the Lord is calling out a group of His own redeemed people and training them, by means of the crisis, in the science and nature of GOVERNMENT; world government. For the Lord Jesus must soon take over the control and leadership of His own world and He will reign with those whom He has trained to reign with Him.
4. We, who have heard the King's call, must realize that Satan is going to bring
5. intense conflict and persecution  to bear upon us. But God is also allowing Satan to   do this so that we in turn may learn how to deal with Satan and realize that IN CHRIST we too can be victors of Satan. The battle of the Ages is God’s battle, but we are His representatives, and we shall win.
6. We have been equipped with the Holy Spirit in order to meet this very challenge and He is in those whom He has filled in order to enable us to win.

THE FULNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT is an absolute necessity for every soldier in this battle. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:4-11) are not toys for entertainment of church members but tools to be used against the corresponding counterfeit gifts of the evil spirits, which are deceiving many Christians today. 

1. These are CRISIS DAYS. These are harvest days. These are vital days for every Christian. Are you going to remain merely as a church member or are you going to, here and now, dedicate yourself, your time and talents to serve the coming KING? "As for we (us) and our house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24: 15)

HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL SOUL-WINNER

"Jesus said unto them, come ye after Me, and I will make you to become fishers of men" (Mark 1 :17) "Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; henceforth thou shall catch men." (Luke 5 :10)

The Great Commission which the Lord Jesus gave to every one of His disciples "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15 has never been cancelled and this commission is a binding command for all Christians. Each Christian has a personal responsibility to endeavor to win souls for Jesus Christ, and for this he requires a special fitness and qualifications.

1. The Assurance of Personal Salvation

This is an absolute necessity. If you are not sure of salvation yourself then you will not be able to lead others into assurance. But the only sound basis for the assurance of salvation for anyone are the promises in the Word of God.

"God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son, He that hath the Son hath life. I John 5:11

"These things have I written unto you., that ye may know that ye HAVE eternal life." I John 5:13

We know we have the assurance that God has forgiven us all our sins because His Word says so and so we know we have eternal life now. When we have this assurance then we can pass the same assurance on to others too.

1. Dedication to the Lord Jesus Christ alone

We are saved to serve Him, our Savior and Lord. The command and call is to point sinners to the Lord Jesus Christ as John the Baptist did: "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29); and not to seek to make church members or to advise people merely to become church members. Only Jesus Christ can save; Church membership can never save anyone.

One should doubt the extent of his salvation if there is no desire to share his salvation with others. When Andrew found the Lord Jesus, he at once sought out his brother, Simon Peter, and said unto him, “We have found the Christ.  And he brought him to Jesus" (John 1:41-42). 

3.   A Determination to Witness to all about Jesus Christ

There must be a personal resolve to witness whenever possible to anyone, so that not one whom we know should lack the opportunity of deciding whether or not they would individually trust Jesus Christ and follow HIM. There is an apathy common among many believers which makes it almost impossible for them to witness, and we believe this is due to 3 reasons:

a.   Lack of genuine conviction of their duty to witness

Many believe it is the sole duty of church ministers and church workers to do all the witnessing and soul - winning. Every believer MUST be a soul winner or they will never grow spiritually and stand in danger of losing their own salvation because they do not share it.

b.   Fear of human opinion

Fear of men; of what men will say. But men really despise hypocrites and not those who are brave and bold in their testimony of what Jesus Christ has done for them. There are too many Luke-warm Christians in the church today, and many are afraid of speaking about Jesus Christ. Jesus said:

"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Mark 8:38

c.    Ignorance of sound Biblical assurance on personal salvation

Every soul-winner should memorize this simple A. B. C. of the way of salvation, to lead sinners.

A. Admit you are a sinner. Memorize Rom. 3:23 ‘All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.’

B. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16: 30-31). Believe that the Lord Jesus died on the   cross for you. Trust Him alone for your salvation. 

C. Confess Jesus Christ before others. Read Rom. 10:9-10

4.   A Growing Knowledge of the Bible (II Tim 2:15)

Every soul winner MUST be a man of the BOOK.

1. A soul-winner should know how to use the Bible so as to show others their need of a Savior.
2. To show them that Jesus Christ alone is ALL they need for salvation and their deliverance and needs, today, and for the rest of their lives.
3. To show them how they can accept HIM and grow to know HIM better daily and to grow in grace and power daily.
4. The Soul-winner must have a growing faith himself in the power of God and this can only come as the Word grows in their hearts and is put into action in their lives daily.

5.   Fullness of the Holy Spirit and Fire

Jesus told His disciples, before He was taken to heaven and when He was sending them into the world as His representatives to witness for Him.

"Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto ME" (Acts 1:5,8). When those disciples obeyed and were baptized with the Holy Spirit they could not refrain from witnessing to all the known world and thousands were converted.

The power of the Holy Spirit is given us to bring God's salvation to the whole world. The Holy Spirit is missionary minded and if we do not have the same deep concern for those without Christ we shall be grieving the Holy Spirit. If we do not co-operate with the Spirit's concern for lost world, we shall lose His power.

6.    A Habitually Prayerful Attitude

When a Christian is anxious to see his fellow men brought to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, then he will not only pray for them but will also seek for the word and guidance of the Holy Spirit to be able to witness to them.

FAITH AT WORK

I want to talk to you about faith. I like the subject of FAITH. I meet many people who do not realize how to use their faith, and they fail to realize that ‘without faith it is impossible to please God’ (Heb.11:6).

It is absolutely necessary to have faith these days. Faith in the call of God; faith in the plan of God; faith in the ultimate success of God's plan, no matter what may seem to be ruling in the world.

One may have correct doctrines. Be able to preach good sermons; be able to pray prayers and lead a church. BUT if we do not create FAITH and see that faith produces results for others in deliverance and securing the things God has promised us, then we are not pleasing God.

We are never told to pray for faith, a measure of faith is given to every man (Rom. 12:3) and it is by faith alone that we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. And that Faith is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8), it is by faith that we receive the Holy Spirit's fullness and everything we need from God can be secured by faith.

THE SOURCE OF FAITH

Paul says that Faith is the evidence of things not seen. (Heb. 11:1) Faith bases its trust in the promises of God and His Word in spite of things seen or the evidence of things that are seen. If God has said so, then Faith knows it will be fulfilled. God can never break His own promise or Word. Faith must be based upon the Word of God, not on our hopes or wishes or prayers. But upon what God Himself has promised. That will never fail.

Many confuse faith with belief, there is a difference. There are church tenets and 'beliefs' which church members accept because they have been produced by learned Christian leaders but the devils believe they know God and they know Jesus Christ but that is not FAITH.

FAITH MEANS ACTION

Belief is something we accept as a mental understanding but FAITH produces action. It demands that we not only accept it but act on it. Only men and women who know God and His Word intimately and to whom the Holy Spirit speaks through the Word, can have Faith. Faith grows only on action and we shall never cease exercising FAITH until we reach His presence and all things are clear. The moment we cease exercising Faith we start to die spiritually. That is why so many godly and talented Christians now appear to be slipping back in life. They have ceased to exercise Faith.

HOW TO EXERCISE FAITH

One day the Lord Jesus was met by ten lepers who had heard about His power and love and compassion. They had heard and believed what they heard but they also exercised FAITH for themselves they went and found Him and cried out, " Master have mercy on us".  (Luke 17:13)

They had Faith and they applied it to their present condition. Jesus recognized their faith (as He did that of the four friends who brought their sick friend to Him in Mark 2:5 and tested their faith still further, ‘Go and show yourselves unto the priest’. He did not pray for them, He made no ceremony or demanded anything from them except obedience to His command. And they proved they believed Him completely by obeying Him, even though they could not fully understand in what way that command would affect their healing. But their faith produced results, ‘As they went, they were healed.’ Vs. 14, Obedience brought results. It always does. (John 2:5) "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it".

So many insist upon seeing an instantaneous healing or a sight miracle. That is not faith. Real living faith acts upon His Word. Those lepers had nothing but His Word to act upon and they acted and received. We too have that Word to trust. We grow in Faith as we daily trust The Lord to prove His Word to us and give us those things we need.

HAVE YOU GOT ANY MOUNTAINS IN YOUR LIFE? FAITH CAN MOVE THEM. FAITH MEANS ACTION... NOW!

 

MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

"It shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh " (Acts. 2:17).

Many Christians in Nigeria are experiencing a new blessing in their lives and it is revolutionizing their witnessing and Christian lives. It is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the resultant daily fullness of the Spirit. But it is also creating many problems and questioning. Nearly every day we get letters or visitors seeking advice and guidance on these wonderful new experiences and this article is written to try to give a very brief survey of the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives today.

It is very brief and possibly we shall need in future articles to enlarge and develop some aspects of the ministry in greater details. But it must be emphasized that this new outpouring of the Holy Spirit is worldwide and God seems to be filling many hungry hearts with His fullness and this is especially true of the young Christians who are tired of the existing routine system of church worship and services, and demand and seek reality and the power of God.

With the approach of the closing days of this age, when the enemy will seek to establish his own regime, God is moving in men and women to withstand this assault by filling men and women with the Holy Spirit. It must be stated most emphatically that the outpouring of Holy Spirit in the book of Acts and now today, is not merely a doctrine or something unimportant to the Gospel, but is given by God to enable all His people to witness and perform the work He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, to do. Without the Holy Spirit's fullness, we are unable to do this work properly.

We thank God for what we are seeing today in Nigeria and many other countries in the world, in the renewal of spiritual power in their lives and we are sure this flow and outflow will increase and so we desire to help and advice those who are receiving this wonderful experience and power.

The whole of the operations of the Holy Spirit cover every aspect of a Christian's life. The Holy Spirit draws a sinner to Jesus Christ, convicts him of sin, and then gives every repentant sinner the NEW LIFE which is the new birth. The Holy Spirit creates a hunger for the Word of God and then enlightens the sincere reader and enables him to grew in the Christian life.

PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE

1. To teach those already baptized with the Holy Spirit What He wishes to do in their lives.
2. To encourage those who seek a genuine fullness of the Holy Spirit, as opposed to much of the superficial and counterfeit.
3. To emphasize the purposes and operations of the Holy Spirit in our service for God.
4. To show the importance of the Holy Spirit in every aspect of Christian life, service and worship and the need for constant refilling and anointing.

We do not propose to repeat the teaching on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit which was given in H.O.L.D. No. 2. (copies of which may be obtained free on request) Neither do we wish in this issue to deal with the controversial topic of 'speaking in tongues' as this will need a separate special article to itself. But it cannot be over emphasized that it is impossible to do the work of God fully without the fullness of the Holy Spirit. It is only the Spirit of God who can do the work of God and we as His chosen channels must know how to submit ourselves to the Spirit's moving and guidance in order to fulfil the plan of God.

There is a great need for all church leaders to carefully study this article and examine how much of their services and ministry is the work of the Holy Spirit.

PRAISE AND WORSHIP

"The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship Him." (John 4:23).

One of the most noticeable changes in the Christian's life after being filled with the Holy Spirit is in the sphere of praise and worship. We possess a new joy and freedom in praising and worshipping God which is not governed by orders of service, chosen hymns or choruses, or set forms of worship. There is a desire for long periods of praising and worshipping God without restraint. It is often known where Sunday services open with a long period of free and spontaneous praise under the control of the Holy Spirit and this brings great pleasure to God Himself.

Praise can also be a weapon for us to use against the enemy. (Read 2. Chron. 20:22) Such periods of praise and worship result in a deeper sense of God's care and as they grow in purity and depth, they will give greater satisfaction to the worshipper even more than the sermons and other features of our normal services. Do not be afraid to worship God, in the Spirit.

PRAYER

The New Testament reveals that one of the important functions of the Holy Spirit's work in our lives is to lead us and teach us how to pray, 'it is the prayer that the Holy Spirit inspires that God the Father answers'. "We know not how to pray as we ought, the Spirit helps us in our weakness." (Rom. 8:26)

He gives us the desire to pray, shows us how to pray, and reveals to us what to pray for. It is not prayer alone which brings blessings, but 'praying in the Spirit' which makes great changes. As we grow in Jesus Christ we shall also learn how to give ourselves up to the Holy Spirit to pray and not rely upon set form of prayers. Prayer is a special definite ministry which is growing in importance in these days of revival.

There are degrees of growth in prayer. The earliest prayers seem to concentrate on ourselves. 'Give us, forgive us, lead us, deliver us'. Luke 11:2-4

The Lord Jesus taught His disciples to pray in that fashion. But the Holy Spirit will enlarge our vision to include others and one can often judge a Christian's spiritual growth and standing by the extent of their concentration in prayer on themselves. Satan also is often satisfied when we continue to pray only for ourselves and our own needs. The Holy Spirit will lead us into INTERCESSION, which is the means of mediating with God on behalf of others and their needs in all realms.

"Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, THAT YE MAY CONSUME IT UPON YOUR OWN LUSTS." (James 4:3).

WITNESSING

"Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me..." (Acts. 1: 8).

Every Christian is called to be a 'witness' and yet the Lord Jesus instructed His disciples to await the baptism of the Holy Spirit before they could even 'witness'. YOU are called to be a "witness" to all whom you know and whom the Lord will bring to you for advice and help. Every Christian should seek the daily indwelling of the Spirit so that He can use them daily to witness to needy people.

GIVING

"Give and it shall be given unto you: good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." (Luke 6:38)

There is a proper part in 'giving' in our work for God. It is God's way of developing our spiritual life. 'Giving' proves the depth of our love for God and His people. God loved and gave His Only Son. Our giving should also be of the same kind; a sacrifice. It should not be by law or assessment but by a desire to prove our love for God. The Holy Spirit will prompt and lead in our giving.

Proper giving can enrich the giver and should be used for reaching others in need, spiritually, materially and with the Gospel.

The Holy Spirit will pay more attention to work with men and women and less on church buildings or equipment which are often means of competition, pride and boasting, which are not of God.

GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

It will need a full article to deal with the NINE special Gifts of the Holy Spirit as given in 1.Cor. 12 :4-11, but as we see the increase of these gifts operating in the churches in these days it is wise to point out that these special Gifts of Equipment are endowments of the Holy Spirit for those who will use them against the enemy and for the development of the work of God. They are not for personal or private use or entertainment. It must also be warned that there will be an increase in counterfeit gifts which will seek to glorify man and attract attention to the human rather than to glorify Jesus Christ and His work, which is the work of the Holy Spirit. Beware of the ‘self’ aspect in the Gifts.

Deliverance and Ministry

The Holy Spirit is bringing more of His channels to the realization that He wants to use them in ministry of deliverance. Those who have been filled with the Holy Spirit and are brought into touch with sickness and need, are also finding that the Holy Spirit is using them to heal and deliver. This is how it should be. The Holy Spirit is the source of all the Gifts and He will 'switch on' the gift when the need arises if He controls a charnel moving in faith with HIM.

But we must also realize that the Holy Spirit 'speaks' today in ministry from the pulpits. We should never despise studying of the Word, but it is only Holy Spirit anointed preaching which will convict and convert sinners. It is not difficult to recognize 'anointed preaching'; it liberates and brings life to the hearers and we need to seek more anointing for our preaching. Mere intellectual and academic preaching will not do the work of God. Mere scholarship is no substitute for the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit, no matter how clever or intellectual it may seem.

EVANGELISM

There is no doubt that the Holy Spirit is moving right throughout Nigeria, awakening Christians to the challenge and command to "go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). He is calling the youth to leave the organized systems of Christianity and to step out to preach the Gospel to those who have never heard it. He is saving many, adding to the church daily.

But we would direct readers to the message in H.O.L.D. No. 6 in which, we dealt with the Gospel of the Kingdom and the need for a full gospel message for these days of need and challenge.

CHURCH GOVERNMENT AND THE UNITY OF THE BODY

"He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers..." (Eph. 4:11).

In Ephesians 4:11-13, the Holy Spirit reveals the plan He has given for the government of His Church and it is these 'gifts of men' whom He is using today. But these are not titles or positions of office they are ministries for the needs of the church and the world. The Holy Spirit's government is a spiritual government and the authority He has given in these 'gifts of men' are spiritual gifts and not to be exercised over men; but over powers of the unseen world.

There is also a unity of the Body Which He creates, which cancels tribalism and racialism in His body. We are members one of another and we are one (1Cor. 12:12-13). When church leaders are working hard with human effort and wisdom to bring unity into the churches, let us remember that the Holy Spirit has already created that unity.

Let us also realize that in the midst of an eager seeking for titles and positions and ordination, '(may desiring to be called 'apostles)' 2Cor. 11:13, that the only ordination that God knows is the call of God to witness and to minister and preach the Gospel. His channels are 'called of God', and do not need ordination from men.

THE SOCIETY OF DEMONS

There is a DEVIL. If there were no devil, there would be no sin, no sickness, no sorrow, no broken hearts, no struggling against poverty. We would not need a Bible either because we would not need a Savior. But there is a Devil and his work is to kill and destroy. (John 10:10).

One of the great tasks of Satan today is to persuade people that he does not exist. We know that Satan is a living personality and not just an evil force born of superstition and ignorance.

The Bible tells us that there is a world of 'spirit' beings. They are called demons, devils, or evil spirits, and they are sometimes called, foul spirits, lying spirits, dumb spirits and spirits of infirmity.

These demons can, and do find access to the bodies of men and then occupy their bodies, torture them, control them and often bring on insanity and sickness.

Demons often delight in a form of religion, just as long as the Spirit of God is not present to discern and take authority over them.

RELIGIOUS DEMONS

It is certain that demons attend many church services regularly and they are content to allow their victims to sing and listen to sermons and even pray; as long as they do not surrender themselves for deliverance.

The Lord Jesus met a woman in the church in Luke 13:10-13, who had been bound for 18 years; she was attending church. We often meet a number of converted Christians in Nigeria who are still bound by evil spirits and they long for deliverance.

It is not uncommon for demon powers to control people who claim they have been filled with the Holy Spirit and can speak in tongues or even prophesy and to cause them to seek to lead or control normal church services by speaking in prophecy, which are usually magnifying men and men's works, and not the Lord Jesus Christ. One can always test such spirits because the Holy Spirit's work is to glorify the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (John 16:13-14) and not man in any way. Sometimes these religious demons will call for special days of fasting by threats of fear of sickness, or disaster to come. The Holy Spirit does not produce fear. Il Tim. 1:7

One of the most serious accounts of Satan's religious activities is found in Acts 5:1-4 "But a certain man 'named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, and kept back part of the price, his wife being privy to it, and brought a certain part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Thou hast not lied unto men but unto God." These Christians sought for personal attention in the church and yet lied about it. Satan led them to do it.

This was a lying spirit. This is rather a common spirit and many people, even in church, indulge in it, seeking their own glory. This is the spirit that dominates all false prophets and teachers. Satan is the father of lies, and a great number of Christians are often misled by these spirits. When any person lies so frequently without realizing they are telling lies, then the source is generally a lying spirit.

PRAYING DEMONS

There are some Christians who feel that demon possessed and demon obsessed people cannot bear to hear the name of Jesus nor recognize His presence, but this is not really true. In the case of the deliverance of the mad man of Gadara (Mark 5). The demons seemed to pray to the Lord Jesus. They called Jesus by name; they conversed with Him and recognized His authority over them. They even refused to come out at His command until He finally dealt with them and agreed to spare them.

In these days of revival there are a growing number of groups of young people who seek to establish their determination to serve the Lord and gather for all night prayer meetings. It is never wrong to pray; never wrong to seek the Lord, but the enemy also knows how this can be used to discredit Christian testimony.

It should not need an all - night prayer to get right with God and if it does, then one should be alone with God. There is also the tendency to crave for, and initiate the operations of GIFTS of the Holy Spirit and some are not of the Holy Spirit. In these crisis days, great care must be exercised to combat the cunning of the enemy in these matters.

HOW TO DEAL WITH DEMONS IN A GROUP OF CHRISTIANS

Once it is realized that demons are troubling any Christian, then it is always wise to approach the person very carefully. Never openly accuse anyone, especially a Christian of being demon possessed.

It could shatter a person's faith entirely. Pray and claim the protection of the Lord Jesus, then quietly take authority over the evil spirit. Wait for the chance to open up the matter privately with the person concerned and then in company with another experienced Christian gather for prayer and discussion of the problem. You will never manage to deliver a person who is opposed to you unless you can first win their confidence.

Satan is oppressing many Christians today and we need to deal firmly with him; binding and casting him out of his victims.

You may publically proclaim deliverance for all captives but be careful in any public statements involving any separate person.

The Name of Jesus is all powerful.

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and, doctrines of devils...." (I Tim: 4,1-3).

NOW IS THE TIME FOR ACTION

WE DECLARE OUR PLANS AT H.O.L.D.

We challenge Christians in H.O.L.D. No. 7 to examine themselves about a plan for their lives. He has a plan for us at H.O.L.D. and we feel we have been able to discover that plan, and this is where we declare what are those plans.

We are not afraid that the enemy will be able to defeat the Lord’s plan. We constantly affirm that HE, Our Lord and Saviour has the whole earth under His control and that His plans will soon be brought into a conclusive situation where He will be acknowledged as Lord by all.

We know that of ourselves, we cannot do anything for God, but we offer ourselves, our talents, our time and our funds 100% to His service for the Harvest in Nigeria.

OUR PLAN FOR 1973

As distributors of the HERALD OF HIS COMING throughout Nigeria, we recommend this FREE magazine to all sincere Christians who desire to grow spiritually. It will be sent free and postage paid to all who ask for it.

We are determined to continue to publish Herald of the Last days to stir and awaken young Christians to the challenges of these wonderful crisis days. We are increasing production and we look to the Lord and His people to assist us in this. We arranging for the printing of tracts by Evang. T. L. Osborn.

1,000,000 in English.

1,000,000 in IBO.

1,000,000 in Yoruba.

We are anxious for all dedicated Christians to possess the extremely useful set of Rev. Gordon Lindsay’s books. See the details in the panel on this page.

TRAINING

We are regularly training evangelists in our 5 Bible schools in Nigeria. These volunteers spend a short period of intensive ‘commando’ training and are then sent out into un-opened areas with the Gospel.

We have a SPECIAL BIBLE COURSE for young Christians in both English and Yoruba of 12 lessons and PART II of another lessons will soon be ready. These simple lessons cover all sectors of the Christians Faith. They are sent out FREE to all who need them.

We are preparing also to issue a SPECIAL COURSE for SOULWINNERS, so that every Christian can be trained to win souls. This course will include special books by Evang. T. L. Osborn.

All these projects are being undertaken by FAITH that the Lord desires them and will provide both men and money to put them into operation. But we do not wish to claim exclusive right to this PLAN or VISION and will welcome all whom the Lord will call to work with HIM and ourselves as partners. You are being invited to share with us in this wonderful work.